Jane Porter, our Trust Chaplaincy Lead, explains how our schools will be celebrating the Jubilee Year in 2025.

On Tuesday 24 December, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, signalling the beginning of the Year of Jubilee. Catholic churches and schools around the world had already been preparing for this moment with a Year of Prayer during 2024, so that we were ready to launch into action once the jubilee began. In November 2024, over 170 pupils from 14 schools across St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust came together over three days to learn about the jubilee and engage in activities they could take back to their own schools.

It has been exciting to hear how the schools across our Trust have responded to the invitation to celebrate ‘the year of the Lord’s favour’ described by the prophet Isaiah. Some introduced the jubilee ideas in Advent, linking the theme of being ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ with the journey undertaken by Mary and Joseph and the hope brought by the Christ-child. Some are decorating their own holy doors, inviting pupils and staff to enter into a new relationship with God as they pass through these doors.

All schools are renewing their focus on Catholic Social Teaching, with principles such as the dignity of the human person and the option for the poor at the heart of what we do. At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Chalfont, each class has a quotation related to hope which they will represent on a canvas to line the corridors, a visible sign of hope to all who pass by.

Pupils at St Ethelbert’s Catholic Primary School, Slough have been creating ‘jars of hope’, writing down all the things that bring them hope and putting them in a jar which can be used on the class prayer table or in prayer club. At Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School, Chesham Bois, there are ‘pilgrim passports’, such as those used on the Camino, where pupils can collect stamps in their passport through participation in different events during the year.

In every school faith ambassadors, chaplaincy teams, ‘Mini Vinnies’ and ‘Youth SVP’ groups are involved in local action and fundraising, supporting foodbanks, homeless shelters and other projects, following the words of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

For more information about our Year of Jubilee, visit our website page here 2025 Jubilee Year - St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust