JUBILEE YEAR PILGRIMAGE 2016 FROM ST. ALBERT THE GREAT PARISH TO ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL
WEDNESDAY OCT 19, 2016
DEAR PARISHIONERS OF ST. ALBERT THE GREAT PARISH,
Pope France established the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy from the Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception Dec 8, 2016 through the Solemnity of Christ the King November 21, 2016. An ‘extraordinary
jubilee year’, of which there have been only 26 in Church history, the last being the Great Jubilee in
2000, falls outside the regular rhythm of jubilees celebrated every quarter century. A jubilee is offered
as a path for reunion with God and is called for a special occasion or even of particular importance. It is a
year of forgiveness of sins coupled with the special pardon of temporal punishment for them. As a time
of renewal conversion it places great emphasis on reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation.
In response to the call by the Holy Father to celebrate this Jubilee Year of Mercy, we the parish of St.
Albert the Great will make a pilgrimage to St. Mary’s Cathedral and walk through the Diocesan
designated Holy Door, celebrate the Holy Eucharist and gain the indulgence granted by the Church.
Please join us on Wednesday October 19, at 5.30 pm in the gathering area of our Church at St. Albert
the Great. We will then bus down to St. Mary’s Cathedral. Bus tickets are $ 5 per person and are
available at the Parish Office.
What is a jubilee year?
The practice of a jubilee year has ancient roots in the Jewish tradition and evidence for it can be found in
the Old Testament (for example, see Leviticus 25). The jubilee year was called every fifty years and was
a time for forgiveness. It stood as a reminder of God's providence and mercy. The dedication of a year
for this emphasis provided the community with a time to come back into right relationship with one
another and with God. As the practice of the jubilee year was adopted into the Catholic Church, these
themes of mercy, forgiveness, and solidarity continued. The Catholic tradition was started in the year
1300 by Pope Boniface VIII. A Holy Year is a general forgiveness, open to all. It is a special proposal to
approach God and others.
What is the Jubilee of Mercy?
In his letter, Misericordiae vultus, Pope Francis declared that the Jubilee of Mercy will begin on
December 8, 2015 (the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary) and
conclude on November 20, 2016 (the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the
Universe). December 8, 2015 also marks the fiftieth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican
Council, a Council that sought to bring the love of God to the modern world. Similarly, the Holy Father
strongly desires this Jubilee celebration of mercy to be lived out in the daily lives of the faithful, and all
who turn to God for compassionate love and mercy. There are ordinary Jubilees and extraordinary
Jubilees. Since 1475, the ordinary Jubilee has been celebrated once every 25 years. Extraordinary ones
are called only for special occasions. Until now, there have been 24 ordinary jubilees and four
extraordinary. The Jubilee of Mercy, convened by Pope Francis, will be the fifth. The last extraordinary
was convoked by Pope John Paul II in 1983. He also convoked the last ordinary one, the Jubilee of the
Year 2000
Signs and Symbols of Jubilee Years
Jubilee years call for the use of means, signs and symbols which help the faithful to live the great truths
of Christian life and lead them to a more profound relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Three main
signs have been traditionally used for Jubilees:
1. A pilgrimage is an ancient symbol of Christian life with profound anthropological roots:Homo
viator. We proceed from a mystery, God, and we on our way towards a mystery, God. Along our journey
we are accompanied and illuminated by Christ: I am the way…I am the light. The pilgrim is not a
vagabond (because he is aware of his destination) neither is he a solitary person (because he is a
member of a pilgrim people). He has no permanent home in this world: he carries only what is necessary
for his journey. These are the profound motivations which move people – young ones especially – to
undertake a journey as pilgrims.
2.The Holy Door The church is a sign of the House of God, of the promised Kingdom where God is ready
as Father to welcome all his children, who through Christ and the power of the Spirit, and in the
company of Mary, are walking towards Him. He is the great Door which opens to humankind access to
the Father. He is the Door through which we must enter if we are to go to the House of God. We enter
the church to celebrate the Eucharist, to come together as a people gathered in faith, the find again the
meaning of the Sunday Eucharist which calls all Christians to unite themselves intimately with Jesus in
the sacrament. The door is a symbol of God's mercy, open to welcome everyone into the compassion of
God's love that Christ proclaimed
Francis hopes that with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, and the doors of Churches
throughout the world, the door "will become a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will
experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope."
“We ourselves are the guardians and servants of the Door of God who is Jesus”, affirmed Francis. “Jesus
is the door that lets us enter and leave. Because God's flock is a refuge, not a prison. … We must pass by
the door and listen to Jesus' voice; if we hear His tone of voice, we are safe and sound
3.Indulgence
Pope John Paul II wrote in the Bull Incarnationis Mysterium (9) that the Indulgence “is one of
constitutive elements of the Jubilee. The indulgence discloses the fullness of the Father’s mercy who
offers everyone his love, expressed primarily in the forgiveness of sin”. Normally, the Pope says, “God
the Father grants his pardon through the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation”, but “reconciliation
with God does not mean that there are no enduring consequence of sin from which we must be
purified. It is precisely in this context that the indulgence becomes important, since it is an expression of
the total gift of mercy from God. With the indulgence, the repentant sinner receives a remission of the
temporal punishment due for the sins already forgiven as regards the fault” (IM 9).
To obtain the Jubilee Indulgence: 1. Make a pilgrimage and pass through the Holy Door of Mercy, 2. It is
important that this pilgrimage be linked to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, We may go before the
Pilgrimage takes place or immediately after that. Our Reconciliation times here at St. Albert the Great
parish are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6.15 pm to 6.45pm and on Saturdays from
3.30pm to 4.45pm. 3. A celebration of the Holy Eucharist with a reflection on mercy, 4. Recitation of the
Profession of Faith and a prayer for the intentions our holy father, the Pope and for the Church.
Please join our faith community of St. Albert the Great and let us go on this pilgrimage of mercy
together.Fr. Julian, Fr. Iqbal and Fr. Anthoni Poul. September, 2016