Diocese to open local 
Jubilee Year of Hope on December 29

The Diocese of Worcester will join the universal Church in a Jubilee Year, and, at the same time, will recognize its 75 years as a diocese. Pope Pius XII erected the diocese on March 7, 1950, by separating Worcester County from the Diocese of Springfield.

On May 9, Pope Francis formally announced 2025 as a jubilee year with the release of a Bull of Indiction titled, “Spes non confundit”(Hope does not disappoint). The theme of Jubilee 2025 is hope.

What is a jubilee year?

Jubilee years have been celebrated by the Church since 1300 and find their roots in Jewish tradition, according to the Vatican’s jubilee website iubilaeum2025.va.

Since 1470, jubilees have typically been celebrated every 25 years (with exceptions, like when, in 2015, Pope Francis declared an extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy). Jubilees are a time for pilgrimage, reconciliation, prayer, liturgy and profession of faith, the website says.

Additionally, Holy Doors are “the most powerful sign of the Jubilee, since the ultimate aim of the pilgrim is to pass through it,” the jubilee website says. “Passing through the Holy Door expresses the decision to follow and be guided by Jesus, who is the Good Shepherd. The door is a passageway that ushers the pilgrim into the interior of a church. For the Christian community, a church is not only a sacred space, ... but it is a symbol of the communion that binds every believer to Christ: it is a place of encounter and dialogue, of recnciliation and peace which awaits every pilgrim ...”

There will be no local Holy Doors like there are in Rome; however, Bishop McManus has designated 10 local churches as pilgrimage churches for the faithful to visit throughout the year.

 “We are all on a journey of faith in this life, but a pilgrimage, even made locally, makes us more conscious of that faith journey as we physically move in prayer from one place to the next,” said Bishop McManus.

He explained that whether someone visits local pilgrimage sites or designated Roman Basilicas for the Jubilee, that person has a chance to experience the power of pilgrimage and, if properly disposed, gain plenary indulgences.

Opening of the Jubilee Year

Pope Francis will open the Jubilee Year on Dec. 24 with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica. The Holy See asked that the jubilee year open and close in dioceses worldwide on the feast of the Holy Family on Dec. 29.

The Diocese of Worcester will open the jubilee year with a procession beginning at 3:30 p.m. at St. John Church in Worcester that day and proceed to St. Paul Cathedral with Mass at 4 p.m. This follows the recommendations from the Vatican that the liturgy be “stational,” moving prayerfully from one location to another.

Antiphons and litanies will be prayed while local “pilgrims” process, carrying lit candles along the way, signifying Christ the light, a symbol of hope in the darkness of the winter evening.
During the Mass, the decrees announcing the 10 local pilgrimage churches are to be blessed and the International Jubilee Hymn will be sung. Special processional crosses are to be used at the pilgrimage sites during the year.

Celebrating 75 years as a diocese

While liturgies are focused primarily on the Jubilee Year, specific initiatives have been underway to recognize the diocesan diamond jubilee.

A calendar was produced in both English and Spanish, featuring photos and significant topics that have shaped the diocese, including oldest parishes, ethnic diversity, Catholic education, the impact of communities of men and women religious and diocesan bishops.

Parishes had the option of reserving these calendars last spring for local distribution. A digital version of each month will be available on the diocesan website.

The calendars were produced by Catholic Extension Society, and the proceeds from their printing operation support mission dioceses in the United States.

“It is gratifying to know that as we commemorate our diocesan history, we are also helping support in some small way diocesan families in great need in the U.S.,” said Raymond L. Delisle, chancellor and diocesan director of Communications Ministry.

For 75 weeks, beginning last July, The Catholic Free Press has been publishing a “Did you Know?” feature with a historic photo and caption of unique or significant moments in diocesan history, produced from the archives of the diocesan newspaper, which began publishing in 1951. These are also being shared on social media and online.

“It is fitting that we celebrate our past during a Jubilee Year focused on hope,” said Bishop McManus.

“Our history as a diocese is filled with examples of proclaiming the hope that comes from our faith as manifested in areas of education, social outreach and spiritual growth. I pray that by learning more about our past we can, as a local church, be more conscious of carrying on our mission of evangelization in the future in Worcester County.”

Designated Pilgrimage Churches

St. Paul Cathedral, Worcester
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church 
at Annunciation Parish, Gardner
Our Lady of the Rosary Church at Mary, 
Queen of the Rosary Parish, Spencer
Notre Dame Church at St. John Paul II Parish, 
Southbridge
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 
Milford
St. Cecilia Church, 
Leominster
St. Paul Church at Divine Mercy Parish, 
Blackstone
St. John the Evangelist Church 
at St. John, Guardian 
of our Lady Parish, Clinton
St. Matthew Church, Southborough
St. Joseph Basilica, Webster

Local events to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Worcester

December 29, 2024 – Opening Mass
A candlelit procession will take place from St. John Church at 3:30 p.m. to St. Paul Cathedral followed by 4 p.m. Mass.*
* A shuttle will be provided from the cathedral parking lot to St. John’s.

June 29, 2025 (feast of Sts. Peter and Paul) – Ecumenical celebration
Evening vespers will be held at 4:30 p.m. at St. Paul Cathedral.

September 20, 2025 – Multicultural Marian Celebration
All ethnic communities with Marian patronal feasts are invited to take part in a procession 
in downtown Worcester with Mass at St. Paul Cathedral, time is to be announced.

September 26, 2025 – Parish Ministry Awards Banquet
At 5:30 p.m. in the grand ballroom of the DCU Center, this event will feature historic    photos and objects to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the diocese.
Throughout the year – Evening prayer led by Bishop McManus

At dates not yet announced, Bishop McManus will visit each of the local churches 
designated for the Jubilee Year as pilgrimage sites. Confession will be available. Dates 
are to be announced on worcesterdiocese.org/jubilee.

December 28, 2025 (feast of the Holy Family) – Closing Mass
The Jubilee Year concludes with a closing Mass at 4 p.m. at St. Paul Cathedral.

– For more information about the Church’s Jubilee year visit iubilaeum2025.va or to learn more about local events as they are updated visit worcesterdiocese.org/jubilee.