January events in the diocese celebrate the Jubilee Year 

The Christian Life Center (CLC) in Frenchville and St. John Paul II Parish in Scarborough each hosted gatherings this month to commemorate the Jubilee Year of 2025. Dating back to the 13th century, ordinary jubilees are celebrated by the Catholic Church every 25 years and are a time of special grace, forgiveness and renewal. The theme of this year's jubilee is "Pilgrims of Hope."

Bishop James Ruggieri, who officially opened the jubilee in the Diocese of Portland during a special Mass on December 29 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, presented a day of reflection at the CLC along with Father Antony Alexander Maria Doss, HGN, on January 13. Nearly 80 were in attendance as the bishop reflected on the virtues of faith, hope, and love and the importance of practicing them in daily life.

Don Raymond, who attended the event, said he appreciated the bishop traveling to northern Maine to share what the jubilee year is about. 

"It was actually the way he presented the description that was very interesting," Raymond said. "In his talk, he showed examples of the components of the Jubilee Year of Hope, and when he described them, he used real-life examples to make people understand exactly what each component was."

“The bishop's presentation was so easy to understand. He used concrete examples that we could relate with our daily life,” agreed Vicky Boucher. "I am grateful that he explained the meaning and the way to acquire the indulgences during this jubilee year. He is a bishop of the people."

"We are indebted to Bishop Ruggieri for his inspiring teaching, patience, and down to earth kindness," said Fr. Maria Doss, who serves as director of the CLC, as well as parochial vicar for St. John Vianney Parish in Fort Kent. "He was fully available for his flock that he took time to meet everyone present. We thank God for giving us a kind shepherd after His own heart!” 

Fr. Jack Dickinson, pastor of St. John Paul II Parish, and Michelle Valcourt, faith formation director, led a talk called “The Jubilee Year 2025: Hope Does Not Disappoint” as part of their Practical Catholicism series on January 13 at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Scarborough. The session, attended by 75 people, focused on the spiritual significance of the year as a time of renewal, reconciliation, and mercy in the Catholic Church.

"The message we underscored is that the jubilee year offers the opportunity to experience God’s abundant grace and to extend that grace to others in daily life," said Valcourt. 

Fr. Dickinson and Valcourt highlighted the roots of the jubilee in Scripture, the history of the jubilee year in the Catholic Church, and practical ways to participate. They include making a pilgrimage, participating in works of mercy, performing acts of penance such as fasting from social media, and engaging in spiritual formation with a special emphasis on prayerfully reading the documents from Vatican II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

If some other conditions are met, participating in those activities are also ways to obtain a plenary indulgence, which Pope Francis announced would be available during the jubilee year as “a way of discovering the unlimited nature of God’s mercy.” There are two pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Portland – the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland and the Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul in Lewiston. 

To learn more about the jubilee year, including plenary indulgences, click here.