Jubilee 2025 was proclaimed by Pope Francis as a time to renew ourselves as “Pilgrims of Hope.”

The Jubilee, marking the 2,025th anniversary of the Incarnation of our Lord, is an “event of great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance in the life of the Church.” The concept of “Jubilee” has its origins in the Book of Leviticus (chapter 25) as a special year of reconciliation, pilgrimage, and coming home.

“The coming Jubilee will thus be a Holy Year marked by the hope that does not fade, our hope in God. May it help us to recover the confident trust that we require, in the Church and in society, in our interpersonal relationships, in international relations, and in our task of promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for God’s gift of creation.”

Diocese of Helena List of Jubilee Year Sacred Sites

At the decree of Bishop Vetter, the following churches have been designated as sacred places within the Diocese of Helena where the faithful may obtain the Jubilee Indulgence:

Cathedral of St. Helena, Helena
Holy Rosary Church, Bozeman
St. Rose of Lima Church, Dillon
St. Ignatius Mission Church, St. Ignatius
St. Joseph Church, Libby
St Teresa of the Little Flower Church, Browning
All Saints Chapel, Carroll College-Helena

Diocese of Helena Jubilee Year Calendar

Find upcoming Jubilee Masses and celebrations below. This calendar will be updated throughout the year as events are added.

Mass of Jubilee with Bishop Vetter at the Cathedral of St. Helena
February 27, 2025 - Helena
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Eucharistic Congress in a Jubilee Year of Hope
March 21-23, 2025 - Carroll College, Helena
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Jubilee Mass at the Eucharistic Congress
March 22, 2025 - Carroll College, Helena
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Jubilee Procession at the Eucharistic Congress
March 23, 2025 - Carroll College to the Cathedral of St. Helena

Mass of Jubilee with Bishop Vetter

February 27, 2025 | Cathedral of St. Helena

Jubilee FAQ & Documents

A Jubilee is a Holy Year of the forgiveness of sin, conversion and joyful celebration.

Old Testament Origins

The concept of “Jubilee” has its origins in the Book of Leviticus (chapter 25), and the word “jubilee” comes from the Hebrew word yobel, which refers to the ram’s horn used to announce a jubilee in the Old Testament.

God told Moses that every fiftieth year was to be set aside for the return of absent members to their households, the restoration of land to its owners, the release of Hebrew slaves and the forgiveness of debts (Lev 25:10).

Like the sabbath, which took place on the seventh day of each week, the jubilee was a time for the Israelites to re-establish a proper relationship with God and with one another.

The Tradition Continues in Christianity

Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the first Christian jubilee in A.D. 1300, granting the full remission of sin for those who confessed their sins and made a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The Church first celebrated jubilee years every 100 years. This was eventually shortened to every 50 years and then to every 25 years.

You can read Pope Francis’ full letter announcing the Jubilee, Spes non confundit, also known as the Papal Bull of Indiction, using the link below.

Special graces for the forgive ness of sins are made available during the Jubilee year. The faithful may obtain a plenary indulgence — remission of all temporal punishment (time in Purgatory) for sin — by meeting the normal conditions (Sacramental Confession, Holy Communion, prayer for the pope’s intentions, and no attachment to sin) and by participating in one of the following activities:

  • Pilgrimages: The four major basilicas in Rome are the main pilgrimage destinations, but pilgrims may also go to the Holy Land, their diocesan cathedral or other officially designated locations.
  • Pious visits to sacred places: At these locations, the faithful are to engage in specified Sacraments and spiritual practices. 
  • Works of mercy and penance
    The faithful are to perform the spiritual or corporal works of mercy or carry out works of penance, such as abstaining from meat on Fridays.


View Bishop Vetter’s decree including the list of sacred sites and details for the plenary indulgence HERE.

Read the full decree on the granting of the Jubilee Indulgence, which outlines the parameters and instructions for obtaining the indulgence in more detail, HERE.

The Pope opens the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica at the beginning of each jubilee year. Passing through the holy doors symbolizes the pilgrim’s journey of conversion.

Originally, there was only one door, at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. Later, to allow as many pilgrims as possible to take part in the Jubilee experience, the other Roman Basilicas, St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls, also opened their own holy doors.

In crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, the pilgrim is reminded of the passage from chapter 10 of St John’s gospel: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” 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.

Make a pilgrimage to Rome: Some dioceses, parishes and other organizations will be coordinating pilgrimages, but you may also go on your own.

Participate in a local celebration of the jubilee: Some dioceses, parishes and other organizations will coordinate local celebrations for those unable to travel to Rome. A full calendar of celebrations in the Diocese of Helena is coming soon. The events currently scheduled can be found on the calendar above.

Obtain the Jubilee Indulgence: Can be obtained through one of the other means (works of mercy and penance, making a pilgrimage to your cathedral, etc.). Read the decree from Bishop Vetter on the obtaining of the Jubilee Indulgence HERE.

Pray for the pope, the Church and all who take part in the jubilee.

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.

Amen.