The Jubilee celebrations in the Archdiocese of Cape Town got off to a wonderful start with the launch of the Jubilee Year in the Archdiocese by Cardinal Brislin, accompanied by Bishop Sylvester David, Archbishop Henryk Jagodinski – the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Salvatore Pennachio – the President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome, the priests …
OPENING OF JUBILEE YEAR 2025
31 DECEMBER 2024, OUR LADY OF THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT CATHEDRAL
The Jubilee celebrations in the Archdiocese of Cape Town got off to a wonderful start with the launch of the Jubilee Year in the Archdiocese by Cardinal Brislin, accompanied by Bishop Sylvester David, Archbishop Henryk Jagodinski – the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Salvatore Pennachio – the President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome, the priests and religious, and representatives of all the parishes of the Archdiocese. At the Mass to launch the Jubilee Year, Jubilee candles for all the church communities and religious houses were blessed by the Cardinal. The intention that these candles should be lit in our churches and religious communities during Masses this year.
In addition to this, Jubilee candles for use in family homes can be purchased from the Catholic Bookshop.
Read more about the Jubilee Plans and Events by downloading the letter from Fr Zane Godwin, Episcopal Vicar for Pastroral Development and Evangelisation Coordinator. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LETTER.
The letter contents is
Launch of Jubilee Year in Archdiocese of Cape Town
Jubilee Logo and Email Signature
Jubilee Family Blessing
Caritas Jubilee Tree Planting
Other Caritas Projects
Jubilee Youth Day Celebration
Archdiocese Jubilee Mass
Parish And Deanery Jubilee Events
Eucharist Jubilee Prayer Series
Jubilee “Teach us to Pray” Series
Eucharist Procession to close the Jubilee Year
We are people of faith. We have and do encounter Christ in our lives. We have a relationship with him, and through him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we know the Father. Yet we continually need renewal, a time for reflecting on our lives, of self-scrutiny in the light of the Gospel. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is our frequent way of doing that. Every so often, we need to re-look at ourselves in a deeper and more communal way, not simply in a personal way, but to examine ourselves as a people called to be the sons and daughters of God, to reflect on how we live our communal Christian life and how we can, in an individualistic and cyber world, strengthen the bonds of community in our parishes, archdiocese, and as Church. The jubilee year has deep Biblical roots and is intended to be a year of liberation, forgiveness and renewal. In the Book of Leviticus, chapter 25, we read that the jubilee year was ordained by God so that Israelites could return to their roots, liberate their servants and restore what had been lost. It was a year to rejoice in God’s mercy and justice, and to embark on the journey of transformation by returning to what is right and just, and restoring our relationships with others and with creation.
The jubilee year invites us to return to our roots, the foundation of our faith and the reason for our hope. In recalling God’s abundant mercy and the grace that he has poured into our hearts, we become inspired to throw off our lethargy, our indifference to the suffering and evil in the world, to cast aside feelings of despair and impotence, in order that we may look beyond all the troubles and anxieties that we experience, to look beyond the darkness of the Cross, and to recognize the light which shines dispersing the darkness and which the darkness cannot overcome. For the light came into the world and is still present in the world. Christ, who took on human flesh to live among us, has not deserted us. He is still present. It is for we, to be strong enough in our faith, to recognize in the signs of the times, no matter how terrible they may be, the signs of hope for the world and for mankind. Our hope lies in Christ, who calls us to renewal, to return to our roots, the basics of our faith in terms of moral living, of uprightness in our dealings with others, in living the truth, in being reconcilers and peace-makers, in seeking justice and inclusion for the marginalized and rejected. Our faith calls on us to be courageous in the face of the darkness and the evil and never to shrink back because of it. Time and again we read in the Scriptures, “Be strong, stand firm”, typified by the words of Joshua: “I hereby command you: be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Our strength and courage is rooted when we are faithful to the whole law and, in the words of Joshua, to swerve “neither to the right nor to the left” of it (Joshua 1:7). The fullness of the law is found in Jesus Christ who taught us that the greatest commandment, the greatest law, is to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls and minds, and to love our neighbour as ourselves (Matt 22:37-39).
