Within the Diocese of Gaylord, the Jubilee Year of Hope concludes with the Closing Mass on January 3 at 5 pm at St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Cathedral in Gaylord. This Mass is offered in thanksgiving to God for the graces which have flowed throughout the Jubilee Year of Hope, a year of pilgrimage and reconciliation.
During this year, Bishop Walsh offered the Papal Blessing with attached indulgence at various Masses around the diocese. In addition to these scheduled liturgies, Bishop Walsh designated three pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Gaylord where pilgrims can make a pious visit and receive the special Jubilee Year indulgence under the normal conditions:
- St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Cathedral, Gaylord
- Cross in the Woods National Shrine, Indian River
- Our Lady of the Woods Shrine, Mio
It is not too late to make a visit to the three pilgrimage sites and receive your Jubilee Indulgence before the Jubilee Year ends.
What is a Jubilee Year?
A Jubilee Year is a significant period in the Church’s tradition that fosters holiness through acts of reconciliation and unity with others. The Church observes an Ordinary Jubilee every twenty-five years, with the most recent one held in 2000. The Jubilee Year in 2025 offered unique opportunities for grace, including the Sacrament of Reconciliation, local pilgrimages, and the Jubilee Indulgence. During this time, seeking forgiveness and deepening repentance were important spiritual fruits to nurture.
What Is a Jubilee Indulgence?
An indulgence is a special grace given by God, through the Catholic Church, for the removal of temporal punishment for sins already forgiven in the Sacrament of Confession. While Confession absolves guilt, temporal punishment due to sin remains. Through an indulgence, God’s mercy “reaches the sinner and frees him or her from every residue left by the consequences of sin,” as Pope Francis explains. The Jubilee Indulgence is a special plenary indulgence available to the faithful during the Jubilee Year. It can be obtained – given the completion of the ordinary conditions – through pilgrimages, pious visits to holy sites, or works of mercy and penance.
