An essential part of a Jubilee celebration is a pilgrimage. For the 2025 Jubilee, the Holy Father has asked all bishops around the world to designate their cathedral and other sites in their dioceses as pilgrimage destinations, where the faithful may gain the Jubilee indulgence and unite themselves spiritually with the Holy Father and those making a pilgrimage to Rome, the typical Jubilee pilgrimage destination.
A pilgrimage is an outward expression of an eternal reality. When we move ourselves from one place to another, we remind ourselves that we are on a journey to Heaven, and that our lives here on Earth are a journey of continual conversion toward God and His Will. The difficulties that we may face in our pilgrimage travels (bad weather, fatigue, lack of sleep, for example) remind us of the difficulties that we encounter on our way to eternal life. Ultimately, though, these difficulties can be for our good and for the good of others, if we offer them to God in a spirit of acceptance and patience.
Information about our six Jubilee pilgrimage sites can be found below!
All six of these sites will be open every Saturday of the Jubilee to pilgrims, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, with exceptions for events such as funerals. See the drop-downs for links to each site's website, where you can check for Mass, Confession, and Adoration times.Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and Shrine of Our Lady of the Green Scapular
5101 Schofield St.
Monona, WI 53716
St. Cecilia Church
603 Oak St.
Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
St. Bernard Church
114 S. Water St.
Watertown, WI 53094
Nativity of Mary Church
313 E. Wall St.
Janesville, WI 53545
St. Mary Church
930 Jefferson St.
Fennimore, WI 53809
Schoenstatt Shrine
5901 Cottage Grove Rd.
Madison, WI 53718
You can pick up a Jubilee Passport at any of our six pilgrimage sites; we encourage you to visit all the sites and to collect a passport stamp at each one! Pilgrims who visit all six sites can receive a Jubilee certificate signed by Bishop Hying! To get your certificate, send a photo of your passport with all six stamps plus your name and address to:
Jubilee - Diocese of MadisonAn indulgence is “a 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 actions of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints” (CCC 1471).
For a full explanation of this definition, please visit madisondiocese.org/indulgences
In addition to performing the prescribed work (in this case, works related to the 2025 Jubilee), the following conditions must be met in order to obtain a plenary indulgence:
1) Detachment from all sin, including venial sin (if detachment is imperfect, a partial indulgence is granted)While there are opportunities for gaining the Jubilee indulgence all over the world, the Diocese of Madison offers the following local options for the prescribed work:
1) PILGRIMAGE: Make a pilgrimage to any of our six diocesan Jubilee sites and, while there, take part in one of the following: Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours (Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, or Evening Prayer), the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, or a communal penance service with individual Confession.
2) PIOUS VISIT: Make a pious visit to any of our six diocesan Jubilee sites and, while there, engage in Eucharistic Adoration or prayerful meditation for a suitable length of time, finishing with an Our Father, the Creed, and any prayer to Mary.
3) SPIRITUAL PILGRIMAGE: If you are unable to travel to a Jubilee site for serious reasons (illness, age, imprisonment, being cloistered, being a caregiver, etc.), you can obtain the indulgence by making a “spiritual pilgrimage,” uniting your prayers and intentions to those taking part in pilgrimages and reciting an Our Father and a Creed.
4) WORKS OF MERCY OR PENANCE: Take part in any of the following works of mercy or penance: participating in a mission, spiritual exercise, or similar formation activity related to the documents of Vatican II or the Catechism; carrying out an act of charity on behalf of the souls in Purgatory; visiting the sick, imprisoned, elderly, or disabled; fasting from futile distractions or unnecessary consumption one day a week; giving to the poor; engaging in charitable and justice initiatives.
The Jubilee indulgence can be granted between December 29, 2024 and January 6, 2026. An indulgence can be applied to yourself or to someone who has died, but it cannot be applied to another living person.
Learn more about the Jubilee plenary indulgence HERE.
The Vatican established different prayer intentions and international celebrations throughout the Jubilee Year. Click HERE to see the calendar from the USCCB and the Vatican.
Immaculate Mother of Hope, we turn to you during this Jubilee Year. Fill our hearts with a renewed and revolutionary hope as we journey as pilgrims on this earth, fixing our eyes towards heaven. Accompany us now and always, as we entrust to you our cares and concerns, our sorrows and hopes, knowing that you will present them to your Divine Son on our behalf. We implore your tender help and protection, confident that everyone, especially the suffering and those most in need, will come to know your closeness, as the most affectionate of mothers, who never abandons her children and who, for the holy people of God, is “a sign of certain hope and comfort.” Amen.
- Composed by Michael WickPlease see the PDF below for a Jubilee Litany of Hope, composed by Michael Wick.
If you would like copies of a brochure of the prayer, contact the Institute on Religious Life ([email protected]).
Plain text PDF