By Ivy Chai
KUCHING – Pope Francis chose the Solemnity of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph on 29 December 2024 for all bishops throughout the Catholic dioceses in the world to launch the Jubilee Year 2025 with the theme: Pilgrims of Hope.
To inaugurate the Opening of the Jubilee Year of Hope in the Archdiocese of Kuching, Archbishop Simon Poh began with praise and prayer, followed by rites for the Jubilee Year at the entrance of St Joseph’s Cathedral, before the celebration of the English Mass.
The Gospel Reading from John preceded the reading of an extract from the Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee Year.
Archbishop Simon then proceeded to the Holy Door with the Jubilee Cross to affix it at the entrance of the Door, marking the launch of Jubilee 2025 for the Archdiocese of Kuching.
The procession entered the Church singing ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ for the celebration of Sunday Holy Mass, presided by Archbishop Simon Poh and concelebrated by Fr Galvin Ngumbang and Fr Davie Entalai.
Pilgrims of Hope
Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome before Mass on Christmas Eve, officially launching the Jubilee Year 2025.
The opening of the Jubilee Year on 29 December in the Archdiocese of Kuching was in solidarity with the Pope and the whole Church. “Together we join the Holy Father to enter this Jubilee Year as pilgrims of hope,” said Archbishop Simon Poh. This is “a time of blessing, a time of grace, a time of reconciliation and healing,” he added, as in accordance with the Scripture readings for the Mass.
The prelate said the Door to the new St Peter’s Church in Padungan opened on Christmas Eve, alluding that to an invitation to “enter the door to encounter our loving God.” He referred to Pope Francis’ explanation of the Holy Door as “Jesus, the door of salvation that is always open to all…Jesus is the door of peace,” and Pope Francis invites us to become “pilgrims of hope”.
Pilgrimage Centres
In inviting the congregation to begin the Jubilee Year 2025 with “hope” and as a family of “pilgrims of hope”, Archbishop Simon confirmed that five sites in the Archdiocese of Kuching have been designated as pilgrimage centres for the Jubilee Year. They are:
- St Joseph’s Cathedral, Kuching
- St Peter’s Church, Padungan
- Catholic Memorial Pilgrimage Centre, Mt Singai Bau
- Gethsemane Pilgrimage Centre, Bunan
- Mt Hosanna Chapel, Sri Aman
The celebration of Sunday Mass for the Holy Family of Nazareth included the Jubilee Prayer and concluded with a final blessing from Archbishop Simon Poh with a reminder that the Jubilee 2025 has begun.
