The Jubilee of Hope began on December 24, 2024 and concludes January 6, 2026
NEWS RELEASE
December 9, 2025
Contact: Dennis Biviano, PR & Media Specialist, (330) 744-8451, ext. 320; dbiviano@youngstowndiocese.org
YOUNGSTOWN, OH – The Most Rev. David J. Bonnar, Bishop of Youngstown, will preside over the closing Mass of the 2025 Jubilee Year on Sunday, December 28, 2025, 10:30 a.m., at Saint Columba Cathedral in Youngstown. All diocesan parishioners and media are invited to attend this celebration.
In the Diocese of Youngstown, this Jubilee year has come alive through vibrant expressions of faith. Over the summer and fall, Bishop Bonnar, Priests, Deacons, religious leaders and Catholics from across the diocese gathered to celebrate mass in all six counties. Parishioners also embarked on pilgrimages to sacred sites within the diocese, including the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Youngstown, the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist in Canton, Saint Columba Cathedral, and Sancta Clara Monastery.
The diocese’s commitment to the Jubilee led to a memorable pilgrimage to Italy and Rome. The 11-day pilgrimage included Bishop Bonnar, Father John-Michael Lavelle, Rachel Hrbolich and three dozen parishioners from across the diocese. Bishop Bonnar had the profound honor of meeting His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and the group passed through the Holy Doors of all four basilicas: Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major and Saint Peter.
Bishop Bonnar has said, “This has been an exciting year for the Church, universal and local. And as a diocese, we’ve made every effort to embrace it, going back to the beginning where we processed the cross in during that opening Mass, which contains the emblem of the Jubilee, really signifying that we’re seeking in this Jubilee year to follow Jesus as Pilgrims of Hope.”
