Catholic Bishop in Angola Lauds Faithful’s Active Participation in 2025 Jubilee Year

Among the events held so far are the mini Jubilee for Women and Men Religious, for prisoners, for women and men, as well as a mini Jubilee of families.

“We have designed these celebrations in stages so that no one is left out. At the end of the Jubilee, the entire Diocese will come together for a grand closing event,” the Catholic Church leader told ACI Africa.

Bishop Ndakalako outlined other planned events for the Diocese, including a mini Jubilee for those discerning vocations, scheduled for Easter Sunday.

There will also be celebrations with Catechists and Apostolic movements to recognize their role in evangelization, as well as a special celebration for parents to encourage families to live the Jubilee spirit. 

The Bishop said that the Jubilee celebrations in his Diocese will also bring on board other important institutions outside the Church to extend the Jubilee’s impact beyond Church structures.

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“Our goal is to ensure that every member of the Diocese actively participates in the Jubilee and experiences its grace,” Bishop Ndakalako said.

In addition to the Universal Church’s Jubilee, the Diocese of Menongue is marking 50 years since its founding, a milestone that will be commemorated on August 24.

Bishop Ndakalako emphasized that the Diocesan Golden Jubilee represents “the maturity of the local Church and its growth in faith over the past five decades.”

As part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations, the Diocese has launched the construction of a Marian Shrine at Mount Missombo, 15 km from Menongue.

The Bishop explained that the shrine, dedicated to the Virgin Mary Mother of Humanity, will be “a lasting spiritual landmark for the Diocese.”

Bishop Ndakalako noted that while the entire project will not be completed by the end of the Jubilee Year, a chapel and essential infrastructure will be ready by the end of 2025.

The Jubilee celebrations are to conclude in December 2025, coinciding with the Universal Church’s Jubilee closing. 

Both events are to be held at Mount Missombo, uniting the faithful in a shared spiritual experience.

Bishop Ndakalako expressed gratitude for the unwavering commitment of the people of God in the Diocese, emphasizing that the Jubilee is “a time of renewal and deepening of faith for the entire Diocese.”

Pope Francis announced the start of a Year of Prayer on 21 January 2024 in preparation for the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, the second in his Pontificate after the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015.

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He said that the 2025 Jubilee Year, whose theme is “Pilgrims of Hope”, will be “a year dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in one’s personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world.”

Months later, on the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ on 9 May 2024, the Holy Father solemnly proclaimed the upcoming Jubilee Year 2025 at a ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica, during which he delivered the Bull of Indiction of the planned Jubilee, “Spes non confundit” (Hope does not disappoint).

Scheduled to officially conclude on 6 January 2026, the 2025 Jubilee Year provides the people of God across the globe an opportunity to participate in various planned jubilee events at the Vatican and in their respective Episcopal Sees and of ICLSAL.

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.