Decree On the Proclamation in the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of New Westminster of JUBILEE PILGRIMAGE CHURCHES for the Jubilee Year of 2025
To the glory of the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-Giving, and Undivided Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pope Francis has proclaimed an Ordinary Jubilee Year of 2025 and has invited the all the faithful of the Church to take full advantage of this renewal of hope. Therefore, by the authority given to us, considering the norm of Canon 191, ยง1-2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, and taking into account the bull of Pope Francis Spes non confundit โ "Hope does not disappoint" (9 May 2024), Art. 6, 23, and the Norms of the Apostolic Penitentiary regarding indulgences for the Ordinary Jubilee Year of 2025 (13 May 2024), I am happy to PROCLAIM โข The Cathedral of the Holy Eucharist in New Westminster, โข The Dormition of the Mother of God Church in Kelowna, and โข Saint Michael the Archangel Church in Nanaimo, INDULGENCE CHURCHES As pilgrimage destinations at which the faithful may receive plenary indulgences every day of this Jubilee Year from December 29, 2024, to December 28, 2025
With great joy, we announce the opening of the "Jubilee Year of God 2025", a sacred time dedicated to renewal, unity, and experiencing Godโs boundless mercy. This special year invites us to deepen our faith, rediscover the transformative power of Godโs grace, and reflect on His eternal love for us.
The Jubilee Year will officially begin on Sunday, December 29, 2024, with a special ceremony led by our Bishop Rev. Michael Kwiatkowski at the Holy Eucharist Cathedral in New Westminster (501-4th Avenue). As part of this momentous occasion, the Cathedral, along with our churches in Kelowna (Dormition of the Mother of God, 1091 Coronation Avenue) and Nanaimo (St. Michael the Archangel, 4017 Victoria Avenue), will be designated as "Pilgrimage destinations", with their gates becoming the Jubilee Porta Sancta (Holy Doors). These doors symbolically represent the "Gates of Heaven", opened through Christโs death and resurrection, and invite us to leave behind our sins and step into Godโs heavenly reality even now on earth.
Throughout the Jubilee Year, we are encouraged to reflect on the Virgin Maryโs role as the "Doors of Mercy." Just as she opened her womb to bring the Savior into the world, she continues to open the gates of Divine Mercy to all who seek redemption and healing.
Eparchy of New Westminster
June 28-29: Eparchial Pilgrimage to Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Grindrod
Main Jubilee Year Pilgrimage Destination: Holy Eucharist Cathedral, New Westminster
Special Conditions and Graces
One of the greatest blessings of this Jubilee Year is the opportunity to receive a "Plenary Indulgence". This indulgence is a grace granted by the Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to cleanse the temporal consequences of sin.
To obtain this special grace, the faithful are encouraged to fulfill the following conditions:
1. Pilgrimage to a Designated Holy Site: Visit a pilgrimage church or shrine with the intention of experiencing spiritual renewal.
2. Sacramental Confession: Approach the Mystery of Penance to reconcile with God and receive forgiveness for sins.
3. Holy Communion: Worthily receive the Most Holy Eucharist to unite with Christ.
4. Prayer for the Popeโs Intentions: Pray for the successor of the Holy Apostle Peter, offering prayers for unity and the intentions of the Holy Father.
For those who cannot physically travel to a pilgrimage site due to illness or other circumstances, the Church invites them to take part in the spiritual movement of the Jubilee Year. They are encouraged to unite their sufferings with Christ, offer their daily prayers, and participate in the Eucharistic celebration, even from home.
Opportunities for Renewal
The Jubilee Year is more than a celebration; it is a journey of faith, sacrifice, and mercy.
This sacred time invites us to:
- Embrace the Sacraments: Recommit to regular participation in Confession and the Eucharist.
- Acts of Faith: Undertake personal or group pilgrimages as an act of devotion and spiritual growth.
- Pray for the Deceased: Offer prayers for the souls in purgatory, maintaining the bond of love between the Church on earth and the Church triumphant.
Let us take full advantage of the opportunities for spiritual renewal during this holy year. As pilgrims of hope, may we joyfully share our faith and become living witnesses of Godโs mercy.
May this Jubilee Year fill your hearts with peace, hope, and renewal. Together, let us walk through the Holy Doors and embrace the promise of eternal life.
To the Very Reverend Clergy, Monastics and Religious Sisters and Brothers, Seminarians and Laity of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada
Glory to Jesus Christ!
โHope does not disappoint us, because Godโs love
has been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit who has been given to us.โ (Romans 5:5)
Dearly Beloved in Christ!
Pope Francis has declared 2025 to be aย Jubilee Yearย with the uplifting theme of โPilgrims of Hopeโ. This is surely a providential declaration as we see that the whole world certainly needs and hungers for a reason for hope and a new beginningย which is at the very heart of a โjubileeโ year. This is truly a very exciting time for us and the world in which we live!
The concept of a jubilee year is found in the Holy Scriptures from ancient times as a year of freedom and homecoming. On the fiftieth year the trumpet was to be sounded throughout the land, thus ushering in a time of renewal and forgiveness, (cf. Leviticus 25:9 ff) a time of reconciliation and honesty. It was a time to show due glory and gratitude to the Lord God Who grants us every blessing and grace. It was not just a special year, but a new beginning between rich and poor, weak and strong, as well as a reason for moving past fears and grudges held far too long.
Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ directly alluded to the new beginning that a jubilee initiated when He shocked and inspired the people in His crowded hometown synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21). There He read the ancient Scriptures of the Prophet Isaiah Who foreshadowed an even more profound Jubilee at the coming of the Christ Who will free Israel from all oppression (Isaiah 58:6; 61:1 ff). When Jesus came, He proclaimed the Good News of faith and freedom that went far beyond the freeing ofslaves and captives and physical healing, and the alleviating of the material burden of the poor. He offered Himself as the only suitable sacrifice that released all from the slavery of sin and granted life eternal.
In this spirit of offering a fresh new beginning for all peoples of the earth, the Church revived the concept of a Jubilee year of favour back in the year 1300. Jubilee years were called for by the Popes of Rome to be held every 100 years, then 50 and even every 25 years. Circumstances sometimes disrupted the scheduling of a jubilee year. However, Jubilee years of grace and celebration were also declared for special occasions or anniversaries. Besides the 25-year intervals, Jubilee Years were also declared to commemorate the anniversary of Christโs saving passion, death and resurrection โ for example in 1933 and 1983. Our present Pope Francis declared a Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the close of the Second Vatican Council. This coming year we have the joy of the first quarterly Jubilee of the 21st Century. We want to fully understand the opportunities that this year brings to have maximum benefit of the grace that it offers.
In the past, who were those most thrilled and relieved by the declaration of a Jubilee Year? Why, those who had fallen into bad times: those who had lost land or were about to lose it; those sold into slavery, and those who were surrounded by hopelessness.
It is much the same for a Jubilee Year declared by the Holy Father. He announces a new Jubilee Year, and we rejoice at a renewed chance for true conversion and great changes!
We begin with Confession and Holy Communion
Among the greatest treasures with which the Lord empowered the Church and thus gave the mandate to โgo and teach all peoplesโ (Matthew 28:19-20) and bring them into the fold of Christ โ are the Mysteriesโฆ i.e. the Sacraments. The โSacraments of Initiationโ and that of โPenanceโ are surely essential to our salvation and our ongoing strength and happiness throughout this life and onto life eternal. The Mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation, we receive when we enter into the Church. By these mysteries we โput on Christ. Alleluia!โ The most awesome Mystery, that of the Holy Eucharist - the living body, blood and divinity of Christ - completes these Sacraments of initiation.[i] The Eucharist we may, and are encouraged to receive often as we make this earthly pilgrimage through life - even daily.[ii] Through the Holy Eucharist we are nourished and strengthened to live our own life in Christ, and fulfil our calling to Evangelize those around us. To receive the Holy Eucharist worthily and to simply maintain ourselves in the favour of the Lord, we also turn to the Mystery of Penance by which we are reconciled to our Lord through what we commonly call โConfessionโ.
These two Mysteries/Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion have a central role in the Jubilee Year. Perhaps as an encouragement, making a good Confession and receiving Holy Communion worthily are tied to receiving the Jubilee โplenary indulgenceโ.
A Sacrifice, An Offering, An Act of Faith
Becoming an authentic follower of Christ and then living the life of a follower, requires making a sacrifice (often an ongoing sacrifice) and actively witnessing to our faith.
Jesus very clearly spoke of the need to โdeny yourself, take up your cross and follow meโ (Matthew 16:24). It also sometimes means showing your faith, even when that seemingly poses a risk. The blind men shouting at the side of the road (Matthew 20:29-33), the woman touching the hem of His cloak (Mark 5:25-28), the many people who travelled far to Jesus in hope (Mark 3:7-10): all made the effort to come to Jesus, but also risked not receiving what they had hoped for. The Lord wants us to understand that we stand to receive much more than what we may hope for as did the paralytic whose friends wanted him to receive physical healing. Jesus granted him the much greater and eternal grace of forgiveness of his sins (Mark 2:5). When we make the effort to make our way to the Lord by a physical pilgrimage/journey and ultimately by an act of our hearts and souls, we will never go away empty handed. Again, an offering of time and prayer and a โpilgrimageโ of one kind or another are also linked to receiving a โplenary indulgenceโ for ourselves or for another.
The Jubilee Indulgence
One of the special graces of this Year of Hope involves what is known as a โPlenary (i.e. full or total) Indulgenceโ. This is certainly a longtime western tradition, but Eastern Catholics have also undertaken the practice as a unique impetus for prayer and personal renewal. The basic definition of this is, โa grace granted by the Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to make reparation in the event of temporal punishment for sinโ. This is how we understand it.
When we sin, we want to seek forgiveness as soon as possible. When we are forgiven, we are truly forgiven. However, there are always consequences for our sin. Damage, especially spiritual, has been done. We seek forgiveness for our sin through Confession - the Mystery of Penance. The Lord through His Church forgives us. However, the consequences remain and must be addressed. We will atone for those consequences in this life or in the next (cf. Purgatory) so that we may enter purified into the presence of God. The Church, by the authority given by Christ, calls for reparation for sin, encouraging all the faithful to observe some very important, but quite easily achievable conditions, to receive the Holy Sacraments of Penance and the Most Holy Eucharist. Also, crucial elements here are a Pilgrimage of Hope and prayer for the successor of the Holy Apostle Peter, who is called by Christ to be among the brothers a sign of Unity, because the Lord willed it so!
Praying for the Deceased
For the Lord, all his children are alive, and for the wandering Church it is important not only to maintain unity with the Church Triumphant but also with the Church suffering, where in prayer we maintain the bond of love between us,[iii] through the Holy Spirit. In his Jubilee declaration, Pope Francis more than once asks that we remember to pray for the souls who have departed from this earthly life.[iv]
Jubilee Pilgrimages
The Holy Father, Pope Francis, will officially open the Jubilee Year in Rome on the Eve of the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord โ 24 December 2024. After that Christmas celebration of Hope, eparchies and dioceses and shrines around the world will open the Jubilee Year locally on Sunday 29 December 2024. The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchies across Canada will join in this latter initiative with a Special Divine Liturgy at their respective Cathedrals.
Each of our Eparchies has a special Jubilee plan to allow and encourage all the faithful of each eparchy to fully enjoy the benefits of the Jubilee Year and to share the message of hope in many ways. These plans will continue to be developed over the year, so please check the eparchial websites.
The Archeparchy of Winnipeg
June 27: Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky Shrine at St. Joseph church, Annual Pilgrimage
July 12: Cathedral of Sts. Volodymyr and Olga - Praznyk
August 15-17: Immaculate Conception Church and Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes (Cooks Creek) - 71st Annual pilgrimage
Eparchy of Edmonton
June 22: Eparchial Pilgrimage to Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Mundare, Annual Vidpust
Travelling Miraculous Pilgrimage Icon โ Our Lady of Hoshiv, Basilian Monastery, Mundare; parish to parish in 2025.
โAlways Our Parishionersโ Pastoral Initiative; weekly visits by local pastor and lay extraordinary Eucharistic ministers to sick and shut-ins.
Pilgrimage to Blessed Vasyl Shrine and other holy sites in Winnipeg
Eparchy of Toronto
Every Deanery will have a designated Pilgrimage Church so that the Faithful may easily travel to a nearby Jubilee site.
Eparchy of Saskatoon
June 14-15: CudworthPilgrimage, Our Lady Sorrows
September 13-14: Millenium Pro-Life Cross Pilgrimage
Eparchy of New Westminster
June 28-29: Eparchial Pilgrimage to Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Grindrod
Main Jubilee Year Pilgrimage Destination: Holy Eucharist Cathedral, New Westminster
โAll-Churchโ and International Events
There will certainly be more Jubilee Year events in each of the Eparchies, as well as Ukrainian Catholic events in Rome for the year. Throughout the year, our faithful will be participating in local, national and international events. There are already plans for members of our Church to travel to Rome for various special gatherings, including:
โข The Jubilee for Eastern Churches (May 12-14);
โข the Jubilee for Bishops (June 25),
โข Jubilee for the Ukrainian Catholic Church (June 28);
โข the Jubilee for Youth (July 28-August 3);
โข Jubilee for Catechists (September 26-27), etc.
The Jubilee Year Committee for our Ukrainian Catholic Church has posted information about several exciting events organized! Among them:
โข Online Encounter of Youth from around the World! (December 31);
โข The Word of God Day (January 12);
โข Catechism for Families (February 15);
โข World Jubilee Day for the Elderly (October 7);
โข Jubilee Week for Families (May 11-17); etc.
Those interested in participating in international events may contact their respective eparchial Chancery office and monitor the eparchial website for information.
The Jubilee is for Everyone
It must be clearly stated, that those whose health or other circumstances will not permit them to travel far to the major churches and shrines or even to nearby designated Jubilee sites should not be dismayed. Those individuals or families who cannot afford the travel or afford the time, should know that the Church wants them to experience the Lordโs mercy and obtain the grace of the Jubilee Year no less than anyone else. The Vatican Jubilee Year website (www.iubilaeum2025.va) and our Churchโs excellent website (https://ugcc.ua/iubilaeum2025) address this matter very succinctly: โ โThose who cannot make the Jubilee pilgrimage due to illness or other circumstances are nonetheless invited to take part in the spiritual movement that accompanies the Jubilee year, offering up the sufferings of their daily lives, and participating in the Eucharistic celebration.โ Even if making a pilgrimage is not possible, the other conditions for the Plenary Indulgence and a prayerful journey deeper into a life of faith with Jesus are doable. Speak with your parish priest. We believe that he will be happy to arrange something with you so that no one is left out of reach the gift of the Jubilee!
The Jubilee Year calls upon us to take full advantage of the opportunities provided for our own spiritual renewal. We are also called to become true Pilgrims of Hope for the world โ especially others around us who too are daily seeking a stronger and more vibrant faith. The Jubilee Year calls us out to do something for ourselves and for others by acts of mercy, indulgences, and joyfully sharing our hope and faith. This Jubilee can be a new, refreshing beginning for each of us and for our Church as a whole!
May we all have an amazing and fulfilling Jubilee Year!
Most Rev. Bishop Stephen Chmilar (Bishop Emeritus of Toronto Eparchy) passed away on December 21, 2024 at the age of 79.
He was born on May 24, 1945 in Lamont, Alberta.
He was ordained to the priesthood on June 11, 1972
He was the Pastor at the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish (St. Mary's) from 1982 - 1984.
He was involved as Spiritual Director at our Eparchial Youth Summer Camp of St. Volodymyr during this time.
He took active part in the College of Consultors and Presbyteral Council 1982- 1984
He participated in the diaconal and priestly ordinations of Eparchial clergy. He, along with many clergy, had also participated in the Papal Mass celebrated by the Holy Father John Paul 11, Bishop Jerome Chimy, Eparch of New Westminster and Roman Catholic Archbishop James Carney of the Archdiocese of Vancouver held in Abbotsford in 1984
He was consecrated Bishop of the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada on July 23, 2003
Most Rev. Bishop Stephen retired from active ministry in 2019.
Date of the Episcopal Parastas and Divine Liturgy to be announced.
Grant eternal rest O Lord to your Servant, Bishop Stephen Chmilar and render his memory eternal. ย
Recent Comments