Archbishop Bernard Longley celebrated Mass on Sunday 29 December 2024 at St Chad's Cathedral.

It marked both the Feast of the Holy Family and the Solemn Opening of the Jubilee Year.

The Jubilee Years, also known as Holy Years, started in 1300AD and recall the great jubilee of Israel: a time for land to be rested and debts to be cancelled, when God called people to be reconciled with one another and with Him. They now occur every 25 years, although the next will be 2033 – the anniversary of Christ’s death and resurrection and the decent of the Holy Spirit.

These Years, the Church explains, are years “of reconciliation between adversaries, of conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, ‘…and consequently of solidarity, hope, justice, commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters’”.

During the Mass His Grace delivered a Pastoral Letter:

On this Feast of the Holy Family, I send you my prayerful greetings as we continue to celebrate the Octave of Christmas. On Christmas Eve Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. This was the Solemn Opening of the Jubilee Year which will continue throughout 2025. During this Holy Year we are invited to become Pilgrims of Hope.

Read in full

Listen to audio:

Celebrating the Jubilee Year in our Archdiocese