Being Pilgrims of Hope

Pope Francis has proclaimed 2025 a Holy Year of Jubilee, an event that occurs every 25 years. He decided to theme it “Pilgrims of Hope.”
 
Every faithful is invited to undertake a pilgrimage to receive special graces and Plenary Indulgences. However, since not everyone can make a pilgrimage to Rome or the Holy Land, every diocese can declare Holy Sites.
 
For the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Bishop Mulvey has declared the following Churches as Holy Sites:

• Corpus Christi Cathedral
• Our Lady of Guadalupe, Corpus Christi
• Our Lady of Guadalupe, Alice
• Our Lady of Guadalupe, Sarita
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, Pawnee
• Schoenstatt Shrine Lamar, Rockport

 
Since Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron of our diocese, most of the Holy Sites are dedicated to her. Pilgrims can get or download and print a Pilgrim’s Passport to collect stamps while visiting every Holy Site throughout the Holy Year. Pilgrimage is a fundamental element of every Jubilee event, as setting out on a journey is commonly associated with searching for meaning in our lives. According to Pope Francis, pilgrimage is a fundamental element of every Jubilee event, as setting out on a journey is commonly associated with searching for meaning in our lives. People can visit the Holy Doors in Rome and Assisi, designated by Pope Francis.
 
The undertaking of a pilgrimage will allow participants to experience the Holy Year of Jubilee on a much deeper, meaningful level. “A pilgrimage allows us to escape from our routine and daily life. The sacrifice we make—taking on a journey and spending some time with the Lord—allows us to grow in faith and our relationship with the Eucharist,” says Fr. Pete Elizardo, Director of the Office of Divine Worship in our Diocese.
 
The Holy Year starts on December 24, when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door at St. Peter’s in Rome, and concludes on Sunday, January 9, 2026. Bishop Michael Mulvey will open the Holy Year in our diocese at the 5:30 pm Vigil in Corpus Christi Cathedral on December 24.
 
Central to every Holy year of Jubilee is the possibility of getting a Jubilee Indulgence – also known as Jubilee Grace. To obtain these indulgences, the faithful are called to:
    •   Visit a Holy Site for the Jubilee
    •   Have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin
    •   Have sacramentally confessed their sins 20 days before or after receiving the indulgence.
    •   Receive the Holy Eucharist.
    •    Pray for the intentions of the pope. Recite the Apostles Creed and offer one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
 
According to the Church’s tradition, these Plenary Indulgences can also be obtained for those who have already passed away. Two plenary indulgences for the deceased can be obtained in one day.
 
Fr. Pete clarifies that it is not a matter of checking some boxes but rather a search for grace: “We should not have the mentality of a grocery store—a Plenary Indulgence is always growing in faith. But the Church also recognizes that it is not only a moment for us. The sacrifices that we make can benefit the ones gone before us.” This is tied to the theme of Hope: “Hope is never an act of self-serve but of self-giving.”
 When visiting a Holy Site, Fr. Pete suggests taking time and “simply being silent.” We often want to dominate the prayer; we fear silence “when all we need to do is listen to the Lord.” That doesn’t mean that we should not bring to God our questions and intentions; “we can voice them, bring them to the Lord, but then listen.”
 
Whoever cannot carry out a pilgrimage – thinking about the sick and the homebound – there are possibilities for a virtual pilgrimage, attending a live-streamed Mass, praying and spending time with the Lord at home. During the Holy Year, Bishop Mulvey will visit each Pilgrimage Jubilee Churches to preside at a sacred liturgical celebration or devotion and impart the Papal Blessing with the ascribed plenary indulgence. These celebrations will be live-streamed as well.
 
Plenary indulgences obtained during the Jubilee Year can also be applied to souls in purgatory with the possibility of obtaining two plenary indulgences for the deceased in one day, according to the Apostolic Penitentiary.

Learn more at https://diocesecc.org/hope