As the Church journeys through the Jubilee Year ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, the National Centre for Evangelisation (NCE) has developed some key resources to assist individuals and parishes to celebrate the Jubilee locally.
The Jubilee Year features 36 individual Jubilee celebrations, each honouring the contributions made by a specific group of people within the Church. For example, in February the Jubilee of Artists takes place, and in June there is a Jubilee of Sport.
For each Jubilee celebration, the National Centre for Evangelisation, with the assistance of various organisations and groups, has produced a simple resource for individual and parish use. Each resource features:
- Introduction: a brief explanation of the Jubilee event and personal prayer
- Teaching: relevant text from Papal or Church documents to assist local reflection and homily notes
- Reflection: testimony – a human story of someone with experience in the relevant field; image/artwork – a visual representation highlighting the theme for contemplation
- Prayers of intercession: two examples that can be used by parishes
- Additional resources: further resources to assist understanding, promotion or advocacy of the Jubilee theme.
More than 30 million pilgrims are expected to travel to Rome during the Jubilee Year, but Australians can also make their own local pilgrimage to special sites designated by dioceses around the country.
While many dioceses have shared their designated sites locally, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is preparing a comprehensive website listing each of the Jubilee Year pilgrimage sites around Australia.
The sites include diocesan cathedrals, shrines, and places of historical or local significance. The website will include contact details, images and a map of each location for pilgrims to help plan their journey.
Australians are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to as many of the Jubilee sites as possible, where they can gain a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions.
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