Mini Parish Jubilee Year Pilgrimage!!!! Saturday 29th November!!!
The idea of a Jubilee Year goes back deep into the Old Testament. Every twenty-fifth year, the people of Israel celebrated a new beginning with God and with one another. It was seen as a gift from God — a time of forgiveness, renewal, and fresh hope. Debts were cancelled, relationships restored, and faith renewed. In gratitude, the people would make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem as a sign of their desire to live this new life in thanksgiving and holiness. In the early centuries of Christianity, this beautiful idea continued. Every twenty-five years, pilgrims travelled to Rome to celebrate a Jubilee Year. At several of the great basilicas, the Holy Doors — sealed for twenty-five years — were opened once again. Passing through these doors became a powerful sign of spiritual renewal, symbolising a believer's recommitment to Christ, to the Church, and to a new life of grace. Now, in 2025 — This Jubilee Year — the late Holy Father, Pope Francis, invited the whole Church to live this same spirit of renewal and reconciliation. We no longer need to travel all the way to Rome: each diocese throughout the world will have its own designated Holy Door. For us here in the Diocese of Salford, our nearest Holy Door is at St Mary's Church, Burnley. Those who pass through a Holy Door can receive a Plenary Indulgence — the complete remission of temporal punishment due to sin — as a sign of God's mercy and renewal in our lives. To receive this grace, the Church asks us to:
· Pass through the Holy Door with a sincere spirit of faith and conversion.
· Make a Sacramental Confession within twenty days (before or after passing through the door).
· Receive Holy Communion.
· Pray for the Pope's intentions.
· Have a genuine desire to turn away from sin.
As a parish, Fr. O'Brien has facilitated with the parish of St John Southworth, Nelson, Brierfield & Fence, to make a pilgrimage to visit the church of St. Mary's, Yorkshire Street, Burnley and pass through the Holy Door on Saturday, 29th November at 2:00 p.m. (the First Weekend of Advent). After our time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament — especially for the Holy Father Pope Leo's intentions — there will be refreshments in the parish room. Let us use these last few weeks of the Jubilee Year as a grace-filled time to renew our faith, deepen our love for the Lord, and begin again with hearts full of gratitude and hope. Fr. O'Brien will share more information at this weekend's Masses.