Let us even now be drawn to this hope! Through our witness, may hope spread to all those who anxiously seek it. May the way we live our lives say to them in so many words: “Hope in the Lord! Hold firm, take heart and hope in the Lord!” (Ps 27:14). May the power of hope fill our days, as we await with confidence the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and glory, now and forever. (Spes Non Confunduit, the Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025)

What is an Ordinary Jubilee?
Drawing on the words of twenty-fifth chapter of Leviticus, every 25 years the Church proclaims an ordinary jubilee, a year dedicated to celebrating the mercy of our heavenly Father.  Jubilee years are occasions of prayer and pilgrimage, and they are an opportunity to reflect on a particular theme in the life of the Church.
The theme of the 2025 Ordinary Jubilee is Pilgrims of Hope!

How can I celebrate the Jubilee?
Traditionally, Catholics have marked the jubilee year by making pilgrimages to holy sites.  The holy doors at the four major basilicas of Rome (St. Peter, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul Outside the Walls, will each be opened.  The Holy Father has decreed every cathedral and co-cathedral around the world as a pilgrimage site.  And Bishop Walsh has established pilgrimage sites in each of the five deaneries of the Diocese of Davenport.  We are thrilled to announce that St. Mathias Catholic Church here in Muscatine has been established as the pilgrimage site for the Davenport Deanery!

Plenary Indulgence
The Holy Father has instructed that the faithful may obtain a plenary indulgence by devoutly visiting any Jubilee site, "and there, for a suitable period of time, engage in Eucharistic adoration and meditation, concluding with the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form, and invocations to Mary, the Mother of God, so that in this Holy Year everyone "will come to know the closeness of Mary, the most affectionate of mothers, who never abandons her children." 
 
What is a Plenary Indulgence?
An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minster of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.
An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.  The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1471).
There are a number of ways to obtain an indulgence this Jubilee year.  The Diocese of Davenport has prepared a document which discusses this topic in detail (click here).
  
How do I obtain the indulgence at St. Mathias?
You can obtain the indulgence by devoutly visiting St. Mathias and spending a suitable period of time in Eucharistic Adoration and meditation (note, the Blessed Sacrament does not need to be exposed for this, it is enough to pray with Our Eucharistic Lord in the tabernacle).  In addition, you must pray the Our Father, the Profession of Faith (e.g. the Nicene or Apostles Creed), and a Marian invocation (e.g. the Hail Mary).  Further, the standard conditions for a plenary indulgence (prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father, Sacramental Confession, and reception of Holy Communion) within eight days, apply.  A single Confession can be applied to multiple indulgences, and the faithful may obtain a plenary indulgence once each day.

For more on the 2025 Ordinary Jubilee, visit

• The Diocese of Davenport's Jubilee Web Site
• The Vatican's Jubilee Web Site
• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's Jubilee Web Site