By SOCCOM SHC
KOTA KINABALU – The launching of the Jubilee Year 2025 in the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu was marked by the opening of the ‘Door of Hope’ by Archbishop John Wong at 5.00 pm on Holy Family Sunday, 29 Dec 2024 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral.
The jubilee, a Holy Year of the forgiveness of sin, conversion and joyful celebration, which began in Rome on the vigil of the Lord’s Nativity on Dec 24, 2024 with the opening of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica, will conclude in local dioceses the following Holy Family Sunday on Dec 28, 2025, and in Rome on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Jan 6, 2026, with the closing of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica.
Earlier, the Archbishop together with 35 priests, religious and over a thousand faithful who came from all over the archdiocese gathered at the parish hall. After the reading of the Gospel from John 14:1-7, the Papal Bull Spes Non Confundit (“Hope does not disappoint”) which proclaimed the Jubilee Year 2025, was read. “The coming Jubilee will thus be a Holy Year marked by the hope that does not fade, our hope in God. May it help us to recover the confident trust that we require, in the Church and in society, in our interpersonal relationships, in international relations, and in our task of promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for God’s gift of creation.”(Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit).
The gathering then made its way in procession to the cathedral, entering through the Door of Hope. Before Mass commenced, the archbishop blessed the baptismal pond and sprinkled holy water onto the congregation.
The readings and Gospel were read in three languages; Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin and English, reflecting the diversity and unity of the faithful of the archdiocese. In his homily, Archbishop John Wong assured all that Jesus is with us until the end of time starting from his birth on Christmas day when Word became flesh. He urged everyone to pay special attention to the Holy Family gathered in the manger and be guided by the Holy Spirit as they were, bonded by faith, hope and love, always listening to the word of God, accepting it, and acting on it.
The archbishop appealed to all families especially the young ones to not allow the worries and challenges of the world especially economic factors, to determine the number of children they should have but to freely accept what God gives. He reminded everyone that we are people of hope, faith and charity and must trust that if God has freely given us children, then He too will freely give us the means to raise them.
After Mass, a short video on the Jubilee Year was shown. In it, the archbishop urged everyone to be fully involved and added that the Jubilee offers a special moment for plenary indulgence through conversion and renewal of hope.
The prelate revealed that five churches in the archdiocese have been designated as pilgrimage destinations for the Jubilee Year and are Sacred Heart Cathedral, St Michael, Penampang, Holy Rosary, Limbahau, St Peter Claver, Ranau, and St Peter, Kudat. He encouraged everyone to go on this either as a group or individually. The catechesis for pilgrims will be drawn from the four main areas of concerns of the church; family, church, ecology, society.
