By Gerard Hall | Divine Worship & Sacraments Mission Team Leader and Director of Divine Worship
During this Jubilee Year, the Church calls us to be Pilgrims of Hope. What does this mean for us here in the Diocese of Green Bay?
Pilgrimage is an essential part of the Jubilee. Setting out on a journey helps us to refocus our lives and is a great help for rediscovering the value of silence, prayer and simplicity of life.
We will have the opportunity and gift of pilgrimage in the diocese. Bishop David Ricken has designated three churches as jubilee sites for our diocese:
- St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Green Bay.
- The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, Champion.
- St. Pius X Church, Appleton.
By making a pilgrimage to these sites, you can gain a plenary indulgence.
What is a plenary indulgence? An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment for sins. Although the Sacrament of Penance assures us that God wipes away our sins, every sin leaves a wound. An indulgence heals that wound by the grace of Christ. To obtain the Jubilee (Plenary) Indulgence, those members of the faithful who are truly repentant of their sins and moved by the spirit of mercy are to:
Visit one of the diocesan Jubilee-designated church sites.
- Receive the Sacrament of Penance.
- Receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
- Be truly free from all willful attachment to sin.
- Make a Profession of Faith (recite the Nicene or Apostle’s Creed).
- Pray for Pope Francis’ intentions for the Church and for the world (Recite the Lord’s Prayer).
For those who cannot make a pilgrimage for serious reasons, such as being seriously ill, infirmed or homebound, the Jubilee Indulgence may be obtained by living their lives with faith and joyful hope and by receiving Holy Communion.
There will be other opportunities to celebrate the Jubilee in the diocese to include: Masses for the Holy Year at the Jubilee Sites, a Jubilee Concert in May and various Jubilee Days. More to come as we celebrate the Jubilee Year!
Let us reflect on Pope Francis’ words that he wrote proclaiming the Jubilee Year: “Let us even now be drawn to this hope! Through our witness, may hope spread to all those who anxiously seek it. May the way we live our lives say to them in so many words: ‘Hope in the Lord! Hold firm, take heart and hope in the Lord!’ (Psalm 27:14). May the power of hope fill our days, as we await with confidence the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and glory, now and forever.”
Read more about What is a Jubilee Year of Hope.