Opening of the Jubilee Year 2025 in the Diocese of Little Rock

Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024

Location: Cathedral of St. Andrew - Little Rock
Location: St. Edward Church - Little Rock
Contact: Father Juan Guido
Phone: frjuan@ctklr.org

This event will begin with a procession from St. Edward Church to the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock at 2:30 p.m. (It will not include the Blessed Sacrament.) Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will then celebrate a bilingual Mass at 3:15 p.m. at the Cathedral. During the Mass, he will give an apostolic blessing to all in attendance. Refreshments will be served after Mass in McDonald Hall.

An apostolic blessing, also known as a papal blessing, includes a plenary indulgence and may be given by bishops "when there is sufficient reason," explained Bishop Taylor in June 2023. He gave an apostolic blessing for the first time during Masses to celebrate the Eucharistic Revival Days in Springdale and Little Rock.

"When there is sufficient reason and an appropriately solemn event, bishops are allowed to impart the apostolic blessing up to three times a year," he said during his homily. "This is a really special deal and it is called an apostolic blessing because as your bishop I have been specially empowered to impart this blessing, it is as if the pope himself were here with us today."

On Nov. 27, 2024, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor announced that in addition to St. Edward and the Cathedral, Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Smith, St. Joseph Church in Pine Bluff and St. Mary Church in Helena are also official jubilee churches for the Diocese of Little Rock. This would allow those unable to travel to Rome to make pilgrimages any one of these churches to obtain the jubilee indulgence.

The Catholic Church worldwide will celebrate the Jubilee Year 2025 from Dec. 24, 2024 to Jan. 6, 2026. The theme will be "Pilgrims of Hope." Pope Francis begins the jubilee with a special rite to open the holy door of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. More than 35 million pilgrims are expected to visit the holy sites during the holy year. For more information in the Diocese of Little Rock, contact Father Juan Guido, diocesan director of divine worship, at frjuan@ctklr.org.