Melbourne Eparchy designated churches for the purposes of the 2025 Jubilee

In the Catholic Church, the Jubilee year has been celebrated since 1300 on the initiative of Pope Boniface VIII. Initially, it was supposed to be celebrated once every 100 years, but later the tradition of celebrating the jubilee was reduced to 50, 33, until Pope Paul II in 1457 approved a frequency of 25 years. This chronology of celebration has been preserved to this day (except for “extraordinary” anniversary years, such as 2016).

According to this more than 700-year tradition of the Catholic Church, 2025 is the year of the Jubilee, a special year during which the Roman Bishop grants the faithful, subject to certain conditions, plenary indulgence. The Pope dedicated this Jubilee year of 2025 in his bull “Spes non confundit” of May 25, 2024, to the virtue of hope, which, according to the Apostle Paul, “does not disappoint us” (Romans 5:5).

In the Message of His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Head and Father of the UGCC, to the clergy and faithful of the UGCC and all people of good will on the occasion of the Jubilee Year 2025, we read: “The Jubilee year is a special opportunity for each of us to renew our relationship with God, to reconcile with our neighbours and ourselves. We reconnect with God through repentance and intense prayer. May this anniversary year be a time for us to renew our faith, strengthen our hope, and deepen our love for God and our neighbours. May it be a time of serious reflection, balanced decisions, and blessed action. May it bring the long-awaited peace to our land and help us rebuild our society on the principles of justice and brotherly love. This year, let us not only dream of the best but also act with love, support those around us, live in hope, and have faith that with God everything is possible.”

According to the decree of Bishop Mykola, the faithful of the Melbourne Eparchy will be able to receive plenary indulgence during the Jubilee Year at the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Melbourne and St. Volodymyr’s Church in Canberra from December 29, 2024, to December 28, 2025.

We remind you that the solemn opening of the Jubilee Year in the Melbourne Eparchy will be held on January 5, 2025, at the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Melbourne.

More information about the participation of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the events of the Jubilee Year can be found on a special webpage.

See also

January 14 The Jubilee year was solemnly opened at St. Volodymyr’s church in Canberra January 7 Pastoral visit of Bishop Mykola to Tasmania, January 25–26 January 5 Solemn opening of the Jubilee Year in Melbourne