Jubilee Year 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope
As part of the universal Church, our school is marking the Jubilee Year 2025 with the theme of Pilgrims of Hope. This special year invites us to journey together in faith, placing our trust in God and living as witnesses of hope in our community. The Jubilee Year began with the opening of the Holy Door in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, on Tuesday 24 December 2024 and runs to the Feast of Epiphany 2026.
The Jubilee Years, also known as Holy Years, started in 1300AD and recall the great jubilee of Israel: a time for land to be rested and debts to be cancelled, when God called people to be reconciled with one another and with Him. These Years, the Church explains, are years “of reconciliation between adversaries, of conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, ‘…and consequently of solidarity, hope, justice, commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters’.
The Jubilee Year 2025 has the theme “Pilgrims of Hope” and the logo helps us understand this special journey of faith.
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The Cross stands tall in the centre, reminding us that Jesus is always at the heart of our journey.
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The people holding hands show that we are all pilgrims walking together – no one is left behind.
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The colours represent the world: all nations, peoples, and creation, joined in hope.
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The waves beneath remind us that life is like a journey across the sea, and God guides us safely.
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The words “Pilgrims of Hope” encourage us to live with joy, trust, and faith in the future.
The logo tells us that we are never alone – we walk together with Jesus, full of hope.
Our Lady’s – Pilgrims of Hope
Our Lady’s has prayerfully considered how we can respond to this call to be pilgrims of hope. Over the year, we have made our own pilgrimage journies through a variety of ways including:
As part of the Jubilee Year, we have joined with local catholic primary schools to share in a special journey of faith through our Pilgrimage Prayer Boxes. Each school has created a Jubilee Prayer Box with its own theme – our theme was Generosity. Our box contained plans and resources to help pupils pray, reflect, and live out generosity in their daily lives. The box spends a month in each school before being passed on to the next, reminding us that we are united as Pilgrims of Hope, walking this journey together.
During a whole school Pledge Day, we made Jubilee Pledges—personal promises to live with kindness, compassion, and a spirit of service.
During Lent we undertook our Big Lent Walk, reflecting on the needs of others and showing solidarity through action. We were joined by our Governors, Parents, Parish Priest and the wider school community.
Jars of Hope – children, staff and Governors made their own Jars of Hope, collecting their intentions, prayers, and acts of goodness as visible signs of their faith in action.
As part of our Jubilee celebrations, each class has created a ‘Door of Hope’ to welcome the children into their new classrooms. These doors are a sign of new beginnings, reminding us that we enter with hope, joy, and faith as we continue our learning journey together.
Our whole school community has gathered together to review and renew our mission, vision and values. We used the Jubilee themes of renewal, faith in the future and hope to lead our reflections and discussions.
To mark the end of the Jubilee celebrations, a pilgrimage around the school is planned in the Autumn Term 2025. At each station, pupils will be invited to pause, reflect, and pray, symbolising the journey of faith we all share as Pilgrims of Hope. This will be a moment of unity, thanksgiving, and renewal for our whole school community.
