SPRINGFIELD — The Rev. William D. Byrne will celebrate the start of what the church calls a “jubilee” year with a Mass this Sunday.
In the Catholic Church, jubilees are celebrated every 25 years, depending on the local diocese, and are rooted in Jewish tradition.
The local bishop will celebrate a 2025 Jubilee Mass on Sunday at 10am in St. Michael in Springfield. The Mass will be broadcast live on “Chalice of Salvation,” which airs on WWLP-22 News.
In the Old Testament, jubilees served as a call to return to God.
Pope Francis has called on Catholics around the world to be “pilgrims of hope” for the new jubilee year, which began on December 24 and will run until January 6, 2026.
“For more than 700 years, the church has been celebrating jubilees. It is just a moment to pause, to receive grace,” Bishop Byrne said in a statement.
“There will be indulgences, a real grace to receive at this time if we follow the celebration of the jubilee. Therefore, it is an opportunity to pause, to draw closer to our Lord. But the Pope has said make this a jubilee of hope,” he said. “What a great message we need for our world that Jesus Christ is the King of the universe. He is the conqueror of sin and death. Now we have to let this take over our lives.”
Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve to mark the opening of the Jubilee year, according to the local diocese.
Other cathedrals have been designated locally as special places of prayer for pilgrims, including St. Michael in Springfield; Basilica of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr in Chicopee; Adoration Chapel of the Dominican Nuns in West Springfield; National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge; Chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Thomas Aquinas College in Northfield; the Monastery Chapel of the Sisters of the Visitation in Tyringham; and the Newman Catholic Center at UMass in Amherst.
Bishop Byrne said his goal is evangelism.
“One of the calls we make here in the Diocese of Springfield for the Jubilee is called ‘Walk with One.’ It’s simple. Find out who the Lord is asking me to invite back to church, to Mass, to and just have a cup of coffee and talk about it,” he said. “The first step is to pray. Lord, who should I bring home? Then you say Lord, how should I do it? Let it all be divine initiative, and then give them back.”
Several events are planned for the jubilee year, including pilgrimages to Rome, a diocesan conference of men and women, and a youth event.
For more information, visit diospringfield.org.