Jubilee Year 2025: Catholic Pilgrimage Basics
Jubilee Year 2025 is finally here! Pope Francis declared that the theme for this holy year is “Pilgrims of Hope”. He officially marked the start when he opened the door to St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve 2024.
If this comes as news to you, you might be wondering: What is a Jubilee Year? And what does it mean for the faithful?
While I won’t go into too much detail about the rich history of the Jubilee, the year itself is one set aside by the Church to encourage the faithful to live holy lives and repent for their sins.
During the year, the Vatican provides many opportunities for laypeople and religious alike to pilgrimage to Rome and seek spiritual renewal together. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has also earmarked some notable stateside shrines and churches as pilgrimage sites for the holy year.
While pilgrimages to the Vatican, the Holy Land, and other holy sites aren’t new for Catholics (Christians have been going on pilgrimage for nearly 1,700 years!), they might be new to you. If you’re exploring this idea for the first time and interested in going on a pilgrimage in 2025, keep reading for a roundup of all the basics to get you started.
What is a pilgrimage?
By definition, a pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place done as an act of religious devotion. For Catholics, this often means going to a site related to the life or death of Jesus, Mary, or the saints.
Pilgrims intentionally travel to a sacred place with the goal of growing closer to God. Pilgrimages offer an opportunity to encounter God in different ways than in day-to-day life.
As Pope Benedict XVI explained during his 2010 address at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela:
“To go on pilgrimage is not simply to visit a place to admire its treasures of nature, art, or history. To go on pilgrimage really means to step out of ourselves in order to encounter God where He has revealed Himself, where His grace has shone with particular splendor and produced rich fruits of conversion and holiness among those who believe.”
Can anyone go on a pilgrimage?
Pilgrimages are for everyone. Whether you’ve just discovered the faith or have been Catholic for years, you can go on a pilgrimage and have a meaningful experience. The biggest prerequisite is simply the desire to draw nearer to God.
Where do Catholics go on pilgrimage?
Some of the most popular pilgrimage sites include:
- The Vatican
- Jerusalem and the Holy Land
- Marian apparition sites, such as the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico
Catholics also visit places linked to the lives of saints. For example:
- France: The home of St. Thérèse of Lisieux
- Auschwitz: The site of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s martyrdom
If international travel isn’t feasible, the United States offers many regional holy sites. Check out the National Association of Shrine and Pilgrimage Apostolate for a comprehensive list of U.S. pilgrimage destinations.
Pursuing holiness on pilgrimage
Going on a pilgrimage, whether halfway around the world or to a nearby shrine, is a powerful way to grow closer to God. This Jubilee Year is the perfect time to consider whether God is calling you to embark on a pilgrimage.
Stay tuned for more articles on this topic from The Catholic Woodworker. We’ll continue discussing pilgrimages, including how you can make one domestically or regionally.
