General information

Pilgrims of Hope

On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis symbolically struck the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica with a hammer which opened to allow pilgrims to pass through. The 2025 Jubilee is expected to be the largest Holy Year ever, with more than 30 million people expected in Rome to visit the basilicas, pass through the Holy Doors and obtain the indulgence.

To mark the current Year of Prayer, the Vatican has prepared a series of useful materials and aids which can be used by Christian communities. A special prayer has been composed to accompany us through this Jubilee Year. You can find the prayer here in English, German and Spanish.

A new guide “Teach us to Pray” is available (in Italian, English, Spanish, French, German and Polish) online and a digital version can be downloaded free from the website. The booklet, inspired by the teachings of Pope Francis, is written as an invitation to intensify prayer, understood as a personal dialogue with God, and to lead readers to reflect on their faith, and their commitment in today’s world, in the various contexts in which they are called to live. The aim is to offer reflections, ideas, and advice to help people to live their dialogue with the Lord more fully in their relationships with others. The guide is made up of sections dedicated to prayer in the parish community, and in the family, with other sections dedicated to young people, cloistered communities, catechesis, and spiritual retreats. But what else can individuals and parishes do to gear up for the Holy Year ahead? The Vatican has made available an array of material to help.

We at Good Shepherd and Gut Hirt will continue to add helpful material in the coming weeks.

Full information on all of the above can be found at the official website of the Jubilee.