Ralph
Bishop of Hallam
Pastoral Letter
To be read at all Masses on the weekend of 28/29 December 2024
My dear Brothers and Sisters
The 2025 Year of Jubilee has begun!
On Christmas Eve, the Holy Father opened the Year with the Rite of Opening of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St Peter in Rome.
The Diocese of Hallam opened the Jubilee Year with a special celebration beginning with a procession from the Sheffield Anglican Cathedral to St Marie’s Cathedral for the opening Mass. People gathered from across the Diocese.
We often think of the Jubilee Year as a Catholic tradition and we would be correct to think so. However, it is rooted in the soil of the ancient Jewish Faith. We find reference to the Jubilee Year in the Book of Leviticus. There we read that every fifty years was intended to be a time to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation. It involved the forgiveness of debts, the compulsory return of all properties to the original owners or their heirs, and a fallow period for the fields.
The Jubilee Year is an opportunity for us to deepen our faith, to acknowledge our need for God’s mercy and kindness, and to seek and find it, especially through the Sacrament of Confession, and to embrace the hope that the Lord offers us. As Pope Francis reminds us, “Hope does not disappoint”.
As we set out on our Pilgrimage of Hope together, the Church offers us the Holy Family as companion and guide. The Holy Family show what it means to be a pilgrim of hope, trusting that all will be well, all manner of things will be well …
The Holy Family, with their love, simplicity, and faithfulness, is a model for all families. They faced challenges and trials, just as we do, but they always remained united in their love for God and for each other. Let us follow their example by nurturing strong family bonds, practicing forgiveness and living out our faith in our daily lives.
Every parish has now received copies of a Diocese of Hallam “Pilgrim Passport”. This Passport gives us all a copy of the Jubilee Prayer, describes the theme of the Jubilee Year, gives details of the designated pilgrimage places in the diocese and provides an events calendar throughout 2025.
During the Jubilee Year, I encourage you to participate in the various pilgrimages and spiritual activities that will be offered throughout the diocese. These opportunities are offered to help us to grow closer to God and one another, throughout the year.
Let us also remember the importance of charity and service to others during the time of Jubilee. As Pilgrims of Hope, we are called to witness Christ’s love in the world. Our Christian witness has, perhaps, never been more needed. Let us reach out to those who are suffering, those who are lonely, and those who are in need.
My dear brothers and sisters, let us embrace the Jubilee Year with enthusiasm and hope. And let us use this time to renew our commitment to Christ and to build a more just and loving world.
I pray with Pope Francis that it will be a Jubilee Year of “deep faith, lively hope and active charity”.
Yours sincerely in Christ, the Redeemer,
+Ralph
