ST JOSEPH’S Korumburra and St Laurence’s Leongatha served as pilgrim centres on Friday as local Catholics from the Diocese of Sale came together to celebrate the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, a special year of forgiveness and reconciliation, and its theme for 2025 ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.
That follows a centuries-old tradition in which the Catholic Church marks every 25th year as a Jubilee Year, people worldwide being invited to rebuild their relationship with God, with one another and with all of creation.
Throughout the year, a series of 36 Jubilees address a wide cross-section of society and in particular Catholic communities including families, youth, volunteers, people with a disability, artists, sports, missions, government, entertainment and many more.
Worldwide, Friday, June 27 on the Jubilee Year of Hope calendar marks the ‘Jubilee of Clergy and Religious’.
Pilgrimage Stop - St Joseph’s:
The day commenced with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in St Joseph’s Church Korumburra from 12 noon until 3.30pm, where parishioners and pilgrims from the Diocese of Sale were invited to a special time for adoration and prayer.
There was a particular focus on praying for vocations that more young people may hear and respond to God’s call in their lives, especially to the priesthood in the Sale Diocese.
In the Catholic Church, your ‘vocation’ refers to God’s call for you and your life, the word derived from the Latin ‘vocare’, meaning ‘to call’.
The children from St Joseph’s Primary School spent many hours over previous weeks preparing beautiful, themed artwork to decorate St Joseph’s Church for this special, once-in-25-year event.
The church was warm and welcoming on a cold South Gippsland afternoon with soft background music and bells rung on the half hour providing an ideal environment for adoration, prayer and reflection.
Parishioners and pilgrims then moved on to St Laurence’s Church in Leongatha where Jubilee Mass was celebrated by Bishop Greg Bennet and the Clergy of the Diocese of Sale at 4pm.
The timing of this Mass coincided with a Mass at the Vatican for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, presided over by the Holy Father in St Peter’s Basilica with the ordination of new priests.
Pilgrimage Stop - St Laurence’s:
The beautiful Spanish Baroque-styled St Laurence O’Toole Church in Leongatha had also been decorated by the students from the local primary school for the Jubilee Mass to be celebrated by Bishop Greg supported by the clergy of the Sale Diocese.
The 23 Clergy members from around the Sale Diocese moved from the Presbytery building to the Church and formed in procession to lead Bishop Greg and host Parish Priest Fr Stanly Devasia into the church to the sounds of the hymn ‘Hail Redeemer, King Divine’ led by the combined St Laurence’s and St Joseph’s choirs.
Bishop Greg’s homily and the Prayers of the Faithful focused on the mystery of love, God’s infinite love for us, and in this Jubilee Year, that we may be united in love and charity drawing strength from the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the wish that every Parish in the Diocese become a fountain of hope, compassion and evangelisation for those seeking Christ.
In marking this day as we celebrate the ‘Jubilee of Clergy and Religious’, Bishop Greg prayed for his brothers and sisters who have dedicated their lives to Christ in service that they may find renewed joy and zest in the Heart of Jesus and that this Jubilee Year may bring them closer to the source of their vocation and that their example might inspire hope in the hearts of the faithful.
The formalities closed with the recessional hymn and procession of the Clergy, followed by afternoon tea – a fabulous spread of finger food from traditional Indian, to homemade sausage rolls, sandwiches and dessert delicacies.
The host Parish Priest, Fr Stanly, thanked the clergy, pilgrims and parishioners for their attendance and expressed his appreciation to the organising committee, the choir, the audiovisual team who provided coverage for the overflow attendance and everyone who helped with the catering, all of whom made this celebration of the Jubilee in the Year of Hope such a success.
