Diocese Of Belgaum Inaugurates Jubilee 2025

The Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025 was solemnly inaugurated in the Diocese of Belgaum by Most Rev. Derek Fernandes, Bishop of Belgaum, on December 29, 2024, in Fatima Cathedral, Belagavi. The inauguration ceremony was attended by an enthusiastic assembly of about 2000 faithful, including all the priests and religious sisters working in the diocese. It was truly a diocesan event because even the distant parishes participated in it, thanks to the representatives of each region who attended the inauguration.

The ceremony began at 5.00 p.m. inside the campus of Fatima Cathedral. The more elaborate introductory rites and procession that had been planned for the event were called off at the last moment due to the mourning period for the demise of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Before beginning the introductory rites, Bishop Derek Fernandes invited the assembly to observe a minute’s silence in honour of Dr. Singh.

The main symbol of the Jubilee, the Jubilee Cross, was a miniature of the main cross of Fatima Cathedral, on which Christ is depicted not only as the victim but also as the High Priest of our salvation. This cross was chosen because of its historical significance to the Diocese and also because it represented the Risen Christ, our firm hope and anchor, similar to the figure prepared by the Holy See.

The Jubilee Committee of the Diocese made sure that during the celebration, all the different deaneries and language groups of the vast and diverse Diocese of Belgaum were represented. Various passages from ‘Spes Non Confundit’, the Holy Father’s Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee Year, were read in English, Kannada, and Konkani by lay persons and a religious sister.

After the reading of the day's Gospel, Rev. Fr. Richard D’Almeida, SVD, Episcopal Vicar for the Religious in the Diocese, explained to the people in brief about the momentous occasion they were in. After a few words of exhortation by the Bishop, the procession began within the campus of Fatima Cathedral.

The Jubilee cross was carried in turns by different groups of young men and women from the seven different deaneries of the diocese. The choirs sang the Litany of the Saints in various languages during the procession. Along the path of the procession was a crib on the campus. The crib showcased the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica closed because of the sin of Adam and Eve and thrown open by the birth of Jesus Christ.

At the end of the procession, the assembly gathered at the entrance of the Cathedral. Bishop Derek then invited the gathering to venerate the Cross of our Saviour, singing ‘Hail Cross of Christ, Our Only Hope’ thrice. The assembly responded each time singing, ‘You are our hope, we will never be confounded.’ After this, the Bishop, carrying the Jubilee Cross with the assistance of two faithful, led the gathering into the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral, the Deans, Vicar General, and the Chancellor along with Bishop Derek sprinkled holy water on the faithful during the commemoration of Baptism. In his homily during the Eucharistic celebration, Bishop Derek spoke of the various graces that the Jubilee Year brings to the Church and outlined the various ways in which the faithful can obtain these graces. He encouraged them to undertake pilgrimages not just as an external sign, but as a fruit of interior conversion.

At the end of the Mass, Bishop Derek released the Pastoral Plan 2025-2028 of the Karnataka Regional Catholic Bishops Conference (KRCBC), and Rev. Fr. Prakash Moras, the Co-ordinator of the Diocesan Commissions, Belgaum, received the copy. The evening concluded with a festive meal for all those who participated.

It was decided that every parish in the Diocese would commemorate the inauguration of the Jubilee Year in their parishes on the 5th of January, 2025, the Solemnity of the Epiphany. In the main mass of that Sunday, the parish priests did this, with a small procession carrying a cross, and by instructing the people about the year of grace.

Activities Throughout the Year

The Jubilee Committee of the Diocese of Belgaum, in line with the Jubilee Calendar of the Holy See, has prepared a schedule of events that will be conducted by the various Diocesan Commissions throughout this year. These events are directed at different target groups, such as children, women, youth, etc., and aim to help them be immersed in the Jubilee Year. In the Diocese of Belgavi, Fatima Cathedral, Belagavi, and the Miraculous Cross, Nandgad have been declared as pilgrimage sites for this Holy Year.