Close of the Jubilee Year of Hope

“All of us baptised are asked to live the promise of hope beyond the Jubilee” – Archbishop Farrell

The Jubilee Year of Hope came to a close today, the Feast of the Epiphany, after a year of spiritual renewal across the Church. Throughout the year, people were invited to rediscover hope through prayer, pilgrimage and acts of charity. To mark its end, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in St Peter’s Basilica and closed the basilica’s Holy Door.

Archbishop Dermot Farrell said: “The Jubilee of Hope – which the Church has celebrated over the past year – comes to an end today, the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2026. In the words of Pope Leo, ‘The Jubilee is coming to an end, but the hope that this year has given us does not die… We will remain pilgrims of hope!’” (General Audience, December 20, 2025).

Archbishop Farrell continued: “Hope is a cornerstone of our life: without God’s hope in His creation, we would not have been brought into life, without our hope in God, we would only live for the things we can see, and without our hope in and for each other, we would never take the risk that love demands. All of us baptised are asked to live the promise of hope beyond the Jubilee. While this Jubilee Year is now concluding, we might encourage each other so that the hope that this year of grace has celebrated, will continue to deepen in our hearts and in our communities. In Christ who is Alpha and Omega, our beginning and our end, we find our hope.

“The presence of our Risen Lord endures in everyone in our world: he is the Word made flesh dwelling among us (see John 1:14). In his Body, broken and shared, we taste God’s love for us as it breaks through all boundaries and barriers, and offers us the peace for which we long. In these strange and troubling times, may we discover anew what it means to be a people of hope, a people that seeks and follows him who is the Light of the World (see John 8:12). May Mary, the Mother of Hope, show us how to trust in the way of her Son.”

The year was maked in the Archdiocese with several events.

Archbishop Farrell launched the Jubilee Year of Hope on December 29, 2024, with Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral, Dublin.

An inner-city “Pockets of Hope” pilgrim route was established through several key churches in Dublin, including St Mary’s Cathedral, Our Lady of Lourdes, St Andrew’s and City Quay, offering reflective displays inspired by Pope Francis’s writings and the idea of spiritual journeying.

HopeFest — vibrant gatherings for young adults — brought together music, prayer, reflections and community celebration at St Mary’s Cathedral and at St Anne’s Church, Portmarnock, organised by the Office of Mission & Ministry. The Office of Mission & Ministry also produced extensive prayer resources for the Jubilee Year.

During the summer, a group of young adults from the Archdiocese visited Rome to participate in the Jubilee of Youth – and unforgettable week of prayer and fellowship, led by the Office of Mission & Ministry.

In November, members of the Palestrina Choir visited Rome for the Jubilee of Choirs. The group, led by Fr Kieran McDermott and Blánaid Murphy, visited the town of Palestrina and sang at Pope Leo’s Mass in St Peter’s Square.

Events marking the Jubilee of Hope were also held in parishes and partnerships around the Archdiocese during 2026, with several parish groups travelling on pilgrimage to Rome to visit the Holy Doors.

The last event in the Archdiocese of Dublin for the Jubilee Year is the Epiphany Carol Service in St Mary’s Cathedral this evening, Tuesday, January 6.