The Jubilee Year proclaimed by the Pope for 2025 was inaugurated at St. Peter’s Basilica before the Christmas Eve Mass on December 24, 2024. In local churches, the Jubilee Year began on Sunday, December 29, the Feast of the Holy Family.
In the Diocese of Helsinki, the Jubilee Year opened with a significant ecumenical touch, as the gathering place for the opening liturgy was the German Church at the beginning of Unioninkatu, on the northern edge of Tähtitorninvuori Park. Under Bishop Raimo’s leadership, over a hundred faithful gathered in the church to sing hymns, pray, listen to a passage from the Gospel, and hear excerpts from the papal bull. They then gathered outside the church to embark on a “pilgrimage of hope”:
“Brothers and sisters, let us set out in the name of Christ. He is the way that leads to the Father. He is the truth that sets us free. He is the life that has conquered death.”
A Singing Procession
The pilgrimage procession walked behind the German Church, through the park, down towards Eteläranta, and along the sidewalk towards St. Henry’s Cathedral. The choir of St. Mary’s Parish led the singing as the pilgrims sang psalms and, finally, the Litany of the Saints. The procession lasted about fifteen minutes. It ended at St. Henry’s Square, where the litany concluded, and the opening liturgy continued.
Standing on the church steps, Bishop Raimo received the jubilee cross, a processional cross previously gifted to Bishop Teemu and being used since then at the Cathedral. He raised the cross three times, proclaiming: “(Behold –) the Cross of Christ, our only hope!” Each time, everyone responded: “Our hope and our salvation!”
The Holy Family and the Importance of Families
After this, the faithful entered the church, where water was blessed and the people were sprinkled. The processional cross was placed in the cathedral’s chancel for the duration of the Jubilee Year, and the Mass of the Holy Family began directly with the Gloria. The cathedral’s organist, Marko Pitkäniemi, served as deacon, while the choir from St. Mary’s Parish was led by Ann-Catrin Weckström, who also played the organ. At the German Church, the organist had been Pilvi Listo-Tervaportti.
During the Mass, the bishop read his pastoral letter for the occasion, which also addressed the Jubilee Year (available in Finnish, Swedish, and English here). In the letter, the bishop reminded everyone that 2025 also marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. At that council, it was affirmed that “the Son is consubstantial with the Father.” Therefore, when we “confess that Jesus is God, we worship him, praise, thank, and ask for forgiveness, pray to him, and receive his sacramental grace.”
It was within a family that Jesus chose to become human and grow as a person. According to Bishop Raimo, we are all called to live out “God’s love in our families because it is there that Jesus also wanted to be and to sanctify them.”
The Gift of Children
Perhaps the most powerful message in the bishop’s pastoral letter is the joy of children as a gift. He encouraged: “We need more faithful marriages, more fathers and mothers who are not afraid to receive the gift of children. We need more children in our families because they strengthen the bond between spouses and among siblings. Even our Finnish society needs more children, who will one day build and take responsibility for this country – including economically and in terms of labor.”
The bishop insightfully stated: “The Jubilee Year beginning today is an opportunity to renew our commitment to Christ and our families. Our holiness is not separate from our daily lives. Just as Jesus grew up in a family, we too are called to grow in holiness through our family life, our work, our studies, and our service to one another. Every family is called to be a small ‘domestic church,’ where Christ’s love becomes present, and where children can grow in faith.”
The Call of the Jubilee Year
The Jubilee Year offers all Christians an opportunity for a new beginning. Pope Francis “urges us to live in solidarity and to assist the poor and marginalized as a sign of Christian love. The Holy Father also emphasizes the importance of peace, the protection of creation, and dialogue. In this way, the Jubilee Year can become a time of grace and renewal for all humanity.” Above all, it is “a call to conversion and spiritual renewal,” a year during which the bishop hopes we will all pray “for faithful marriages, united families, and the gift of children, who bring so much joy to our homes and churches.”
Marko Tervaportti