The Jubilee year opens on Sunday 29 December 2024. In Rome, Pope Francis will be opening Holy Doors in St Peter’s Basilica and in St. John Lateran – and here in Hexham & Newcastle, we’ll be having our own celebrations too. Bishop Stephen will be opening the Jubilee Year at our 2 Jubilee Hub Churches, the Cathedral in Newcastle and St Joseph’s in Hartlepool. He’ll be saying Mass at both churches on 29 December and opening Holy Doors in both churches.
The theme of the Jubilee is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. Pope Francis has said: ‘In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future will bring.’ The New Year is a time when people look ahead, and perhaps make New Year resolutions. So it’s a great time to look ahead with Hope, and these opening ceremonies are a great opportunity for us to come together as pilgrims, and look ahead to 2025, not just a New Year, but a Jubilee Year.
The 29 December is also the feast of the Holy Family. We celebrate Mary, Joseph and Jesus, a family in difficult circumstances, supporting each other in love and trust, with Jesus at the centre of the family. During the Jubilee Year we will be reflecting on our own Diocesan family, as we consider our Diocesan Vision. The Holy Family and our Pilgrimage of Hope are both reminders that this is not a paper exercise: it is our Diocesan family, with Jesus at the centre. So these Opening Ceremonies are a chance to pray for, to contemplate and to celebrate all that is happening in our Diocese.
Bishop Stephen will be celebrating the Opening Ceremonies at:
- St Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle at 11.30am on Sunday 29 December
- St Joseph’s, Hartlepool at 4.00pm on Sunday 29 December
Please do join us. Everyone is welcome! You can also visit our event listing here.
Our 2 Jubilee Hub Churches will be places of pilgrimage throughout the Jubilee Year. If you can’t join the celebrations on 29 December, why not plan a visit with your family or your parish during the year?