Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

The Catholic Church is celebrating a Jubilee Year in 2025, themed "Pilgrims of Hope" by Pope Francis. Dr. Karen Shadle, director of the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Worship, sees this as an opportunity to reflect on the church and world in changing times.

“We mark important things in our lives,” said Shadle, likening the jubilee year to significant life events such as anniversaries and graduations. She explained that jubilees have been held every 25 years since the 1400s, serving as a celebration of the church's continuity.

Shadle noted that during jubilee years, the church addresses contemporary challenges. Since the last ordinary jubilee year in 2000, issues like secularism, war, financial crises, and pandemics have emerged. Discouragement can be prevalent within local churches; however, Pope Francis has provided an “optimistic theme” of hope for this Jubilee Year.

“I think the theme of hope is really well suited to what the church needs at this juncture,” she stated. The Holy Year also encourages believers to step outside their comfort zones through pilgrimage.

Millions are expected to visit Rome for this occasion. Shadle emphasized that these pilgrimages highlight the strength of the global church: “There are millions of people making this trek. It shows how strong the church is globally.”

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre has designated six local pilgrimage sites for Catholics in his archdiocese during this Jubilee Year. These sites include the Cathedral of the Assumption and Shrine of St. Martin of Tours in Louisville; Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown; Church of St. Augustine in Lebanon; Church of St. Helen in Glasgow; and Church of Holy Cross in Loretto.

Sites were chosen so that every healthy Catholic could make a regional pilgrimage easily accessible from their location within the archdiocese.

“A lot us have no idea what it’s like outside our own parish bubble,” Shadle remarked while encouraging Catholics to explore new churches or attend different services such as Eucharistic adoration or Vespers during this period.

To learn more about Archbishop Fabre's message at opening Mass for Archdiocese Louisville's celebration Jubilee Year Hope click here