by Deacon Dana Nearmyer
Every 25 years, the Catholic Church celebrates a jubilee in which indulgences are offered and opportunities for special graces are presented.
Holy doors in Rome and a pilgrimage to our own cathedral are wonderful ways to receive indulgences.
In addition to the Holy Door opportunity, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas offers these additional opportunities to be missionary disciples, to strengthen marriages and families, and to be pilgrims of hope in this 2025 Jubilee:
• For kids and families: Camp Tekakwitha is a place of very special graces; it offers experiences where conversion is likely. I am full of memories of children kayaking, enjoying campfires, climbing rock walls, water slides and zip-lines, making new friends and spending time watching remarkable sunsets while eating ice cream sundaes with old friends. I, more importantly, am flooded with memories of kids falling in love with Scripture while in a treehouse Bible study, Jesus touching thousands of kids’ hearts during eucharistic adoration, watching the Catholic faith move from being their parent’s faith to being their foundation, and hundreds of kids each summer becoming best friends with Jesus. In this Jubilee year, I pray that your kids have first-generation encounters with the Lord at Camp Tekakwitha, and the other places that minister to young people. Online registration opens in late January at: www.archkck.org/camp.
• 2025 is also the national year of “Going on Mission,” issued by the U.S. bishops. Check out the Walk With One challenge and please consider completing the free Evangelization 101 video series. The series has five six-minute videos and supplemental materials.
• In October of 2024, Pope Francis released the encyclical letter “Dilexit nos” (“He loved us”). Please read this free encyclical about the love and compassion found in the heart of Jesus Christ, especially as married couples, and ponder the great love that Christ has for all of his children. Explore ways to celebrate his sacred heart in your heart and home.
• Pope Francis is offering Jubilee indulgences while calling us to be Jesus’ hands and feet and to flood our community with his sacred heart in the areas of mercy, justice and advocacy. The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas recently hosted a Mercy Summit for priests and parish leaders to explore ways to live as local missionary disciples, reflecting the love of Jesus through concrete acts of love and mercy for our neighbors. The summit gave us three local mercy, justice and advocacy engagement opportunities that can be viewed online at: archkck.org/mercy-justice-summit.
Further details on the Jubilee, indulgences and opportunities to grow in the faith can be found online at: archkck.org under “Jubilee.”
