Hope
In Focus
All About
Hope
This Christmas and throughout Holy Year, Catholics called to reflect hope to a weary world BY RAYANNE BENNETT Associate Publisher
J
The Virgin and Child, also referred to as the Virgin of Paris or the Virgin of the Pillar, is Notre Dame Cathedral’s most emblematic object. It was surprisingly spared by the fire on April 15, 2019, when it stood at the transept crossing, under the Cathedral’s spire. It was then housed in the church of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, near the Louvre, and, on Nov. 15, 2024, was carried in procession back to Notre Dame. OSV New photo/Trung Hieu Do, courtesy Archdiocese of Paris
ust like the sentiments of JOY, LOVE and CHARITY … the feeling of HOPE has always been part of our experience of Christmas. But this year, when Pope Francis inaugurates the Jubilee Year on Christmas Eve and opens the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica, hope takes on new life as our beacon to follow throughout the season of Christmas and in the months to come. That journey will unfold with parishes and dioceses around the world taking up the Holy Father’s call to be pilgrims of hope. Here in the Diocese of Trenton, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will begin this special year by celebrating Masses in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral in Trenton and St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral in Freehold. Throughout the Jubilee Year, hope will serve as a theme for conferences, campaigns and many programs and events engaging Catholics of all ages and walks of life throughout our four counties. Pope Francis has focused on the subject of hope since he first announced the coming Holy Year this past May. He has reminded us that hope is a gift from God, and even in the darkest of times we must look for signs of hope. He wrote, “We need to recognize the immense goodness present in our world, lest we be tempted to think ourselves overwhelmed by evil and violence.” He assures us that, “Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may Continued on 75
MAKING THE MOST OF THE JUBILEE YEAR Much preparation has been done for the start of the Jubilee Year in the Diocese the weekend of Dec. 28-29 and to help the faithful to have a fruitful and prayerful year. A schedule of spiritual events and celebrations for people of all ages to participate in, whether they are on a diocesan level or in their own parish communities, is listed in a booklet that will be available online with a limited number of hard copies. More information about the Jubilee Year may also be found on the diocesan website at https://dioceseoftrenton.org/
jubilee-year-of-mercy including answers to questions such as “How do I gain an indulgence for making a Jubilee Year pilgrimage?” “Why does the Church celebrate a Jubilee Year?” and the Jubilee Prayer. Other highlights of interest to the faithful include the Solemn Opening Masses for the Jubilee Year that will be celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., Dec. 28 at 5:30 p.m. in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, and Dec. 29 at 10 a.m. in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. The Cathedral and Co-Cathedral
have been designated as the Diocese’s pilgrimage churches. In addition, the Bishop also named four churches to serve as Holy Year sites – St. Joan of Arc, Marlton, in Burlington County; St. Anthony, Hamilton, in Mercer County; Our Lady Star of the Sea, Long Branch, in Monmouth County, and St. Mary, Barnegat, in Ocean County. The Monitor will publish multimedia coverage of the Opening Masses and many other events throughout the year. Stay connected to TrentonMonitor.com.
December 2024
THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 11