December 30, 2024 // Bishop

Diocese Kicks Off ‘Year of Hope’ with Jubilee Masses

Clare Hildebrandt

Reporter

Trumpets sounded as Bishop Rhoades and a crowd of faithful entered the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne on Sunday, December 29, amid a celebration of the opening of Jubilee Year 2025.

A Jubilee Year, also known as a Holy Year, is meant to inspire greater conversion of heart, reminding Catholics of their status as pilgrims on their way to heaven, Bishop Rhoades said during his homily at a special Mass marking the beginning of the Holy Year, which Pope Francis dedicated to the virtue of hope, calling the faithful to be “pilgrims of hope.”

To echo the opening celebrations in Rome, Bishop Rhoades led a procession in downtown Fort Wayne and celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on December 29. The procession began at St. Mary, Mother of God Catholic Church, where dozens of people walked to the cathedral behind a crucifix held high by diocesan seminarian Mason Bailey.

In South Bend on the same day, Father Mark Gurtner, vicar general of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, celebrated Mass at St. Matthew Cathedral to mark the beginning of the Jubilee Year.

Maria Guadalupe Solis, a young adult who is active in the Catholic community in Fort Wayne, took part in the procession from St. Mary to the cathedral, calling it a “beautiful experience.” Not only was she able to begin the Holy Year with prayer, but she told Today’s Catholic the procession and Mass felt like a “family reunion.”

 

“I was able to see all the people I knew from throughout the diocese. It is beautiful to see the Church, a whole big family, come together, catch up, walk in the procession, and begin the Year of Hope together,” she said.

And though rain drizzled down, the faithful still walked to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in prayer. Cloaked in rain jackets with umbrellas in hand, they marched on through the cold, wet weather.

“The community being open to processing despite the rain was just awesome,” Solis added.

The pews were packed with Catholics from across the diocese, and because of this, the Mass included prayers in both English and Spanish. This resonated with local resident Bella Tatman.

“This is my first time experiencing a Jubilee Year in America, and there was just such diversity here today,” Tatman said. “The Filipino community and different cultures really showed up.”

Tatman also told Today’s Catholic that the music sung at Mass had a profound effect upon her.

“The music was just phenomenal,” she said, recalling the trumpets and horns that blared as hymns, including “Lift High the Cross,” were sung.

Solis added, “It was like a King was walking in.”

During his homily at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne, Bishop Rhoades spoke on the theme of the Holy Year – hope. During Mass at St. Matthew Cathedral in South Bend, Father Gurtner read Bishop Rhoades’ homily from the pulpit.

“In this Jubilee Year, ‘We are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind,’” Bishop Rhoades said, quoting Pope Francis. “We are signs of hope when we witness to God’s love, especially to the sick and suffering, the lonely and the abandoned, the poor and the needy. We give them hope when we show them love, care, and compassion, thereby witnessing to Christ our Hope. As Christians, we have a mission to be witnesses and heralds of hope. Our world needs this hope. We are witnesses of the hope of the Gospel when we love one another as Jesus commanded us. …”

Also in his homily, Bishop Rhoades reminded the faithful that the Church offers a great gift during the Holy Year – the Jubilee Indulgence.

“The pope has instructed us bishops to designate Jubilee churches in our dioceses where people can go on pilgrimage and obtain the Jubilee Indulgence under the usual conditions for receiving a plenary indulgence, including going to confession, receiving holy Communion, and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father. I have designated one church in each of the six vicariates of our diocese as Jubilee churches, in addition to our two cathedrals and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame. I invite you to make a pilgrimage this year to these churches, to receive the gift of God’s mercy from the treasury of the Church, the Jubilee Indulgence.”

The churches in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend that have been designated by Bishop Rhoades as Jubilee churches are:

• Anthony of Padua Church, Angola;
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Warsaw;
• Pius X Church, Granger;
• Michael the Archangel Church, Plymouth;
• Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Fort Wayne;
• Peter and Paul Church, Huntington;
• Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame;
• Matthew Cathedral, South Bend;
• Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne.

For the faithful who prayerfully visit these churches, they may obtain the Jubilee Indulgence if they meet the ordinary conditions of a plenary indulgence, which include being in a state of grace and having a detachment from sin, receiving holy Communion, making a valid confession, and praying for the intentions of the pope.

Also, Bishop Rhoades will be celebrating a special Mass at each of these nine Jubilee churches throughout Holy Year 2025, during which he will impart the papal blessing with the plenary indulgence. While times for these Masses have not yet been determined, the dates and locations have been set. They are:

 

• Tuesday, December 31, 2024: Mass at St. Matthew Cathedral, South Bend;
• Wednesday, August 13, 2025: Mass at St. Anthony of Padua Church, Angola;
• Saturday, August 16, 2025: Spanish Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Warsaw;
• Thursday, August 21, 2025: Mass at St. Pius X Church, Granger;
• Wednesday, September 3, 2025: Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Church, Plymouth;
• Wednesday, September 24, 2025: Mass at Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame;
• Wednesday, October 8, 2025: Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Fort Wayne;
• Wednesday, October 29, 2025: Mass at SS. Peter and Paul Church, Huntington;
• Sunday, December 28, 2025: Closing Mass of the Jubilee Year at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne.

Learn more about the Jubilee Indulgence and how the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend will be celebrating the Jubilee Year at diocesefwsb.org/jubilee.

Clare Hildebrandt is a staff writer for Today’s Catholic.