WASHINGTON, DC – His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), prepared the way for the upcoming 2025 Jubilee Year at Holy Mass on Dec. 3, the First Sunday of Advent, in the Nation’s Capital. Archbishop Broglio sealed with a gold cross and blessed with holy water a designated “Holy Door” at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Michigan Avenue in Northeast Washington. The door will remain sealed until ceremoniously reopened on Christmas Eve in 2024 to begin serving throughout the Jubilee Year—until Jan. 6, 2026—as a “Holy Door” through which believers may pass professing Christ as Lord and seeking a plenary indulgence for the temporal punishment due for sins.
According to the USCCB website, the practice of celebrating a Jubilee Year has ancient roots in the Jewish tradition. Since the 14th Century the Catholic Church has ordinarily celebrated a Jubilee Year every 25 years or so as a special time of grace and pilgrimage. Pope Francis has declared the theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year “Pilgrims of Hope.” Archbishop Broglio reflected on that theme in his Sunday homily:
“…. The theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ clearly points out that we are not pessimistic travelers on the journey to the fullness of life. You and I are charged to bring a message of hope to a world that desperately needs that gift.
“Think about the horrible fighting in the Holy Land where Israel wants security and the Palestinians a place to call home. War rages in Ukraine where an innocent people longs to see the end of aggression. We remember Syria, as well, where the common folk live in despair and constant need. We also want to bring hope to our neighbors in Haiti where the hunger for stability and a plan for the future searches for resolution.
“There are many more places and peoples who desire to experience that hope. Even in our land of promise, we struggle to recognize the dignity of every person and the mission to fill up the legitimate needs of all. We long for a society where people respect and listen to one another. May this long-range planning for the Holy Year inspire our efforts.”
Read the full text of Archbishop Broglio’s homily here.
According to Catholic tradition the Holy Door represents the compassion, love, mercy, and consolation of God working in our lives. By walking through a designated Holy Door a believer may receive a plenary indulgence, which eliminates temporal punishment for sins already forgiven, provided certain other conditions are met. Those conditions include holding an interior disposition of detachment from mortal and venial sin, obtaining absolution through a sacramental confession, receiving the Holy Eucharist, and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father. Read more about the general conditions for plenary indulgences here.