By Myesha Johnson
mjohnson@detroitnews.com
Archbishop Edward Weisenburger led the Archdiocese of Detroit during a special Mass on Sunday to mark the end of the church’s Jubilee Year.
The purpose of the jubilee year, which has its roots in the Old Testament when God instructed the children of Israel through Moses to count every 50th year as sacred, is to pause, pray and give glory to God.
The theme for this Jubilee Year has been “Pilgrims of Hope.”
“Hope has, in so many respects, I feel been lived out in my life in this time,” Weisenberger said Sunday, “and as we join with the rest of the universal church in bringing it to a conclusion, I think we recognize … hope has in so many ways been stored, sustained and fulfilled.”
“Let us continue for the rest of our years on this trajectory, this path given us by Pope Francis and then continued under Pope Leo, recognizing that to be followers of Christ is indeed always and everywhere to be a people of hope,” Weisenberger added.
Jackie Jabero, holding her young daughter, Elaina, who former archbishop Allen Vigneron baptized, said she appreciated Weisenberger’s emphasis on caring for family. They both wore emerald green dresses to Mass.
“I think the church does a great job overall with tying a message back to the holidays and family. The experience as a whole: it’s such a great community, especially around the holidays, they do a lot to not only put together the Mass and the sermon but make it a special time for everybody during the holiday season,” Jackie Jabero said.
John Ricard of Pompano Beach, Florida, and his son, Connor, were in town to visit family and didn’t want to miss the last Mass of the year. The Ricards visited the cathedral for the first time, and Connor, an altar boy in Florida, drank from a cup filled with the “Blood of Christ” during communion for the first time, too.
“We have the Eucharist, but we don’t have the Blood of Christ in our church,” John Ricard said.
The father and son admired the neo-Gothic style of architecture, including its saints’ relics, stained-glass windows, wood statues, vertical archways, and rose windows, or “library of spirituality in stone,” John Ricard said. “I always find it fascinating the way cathedrals are designed to reflect (the faith).”
“As a Catholic, you can go to church or Mass in Pompano Beach, Florida, and it’s the same ritual, performance parts of Mass and then you come here … the context, architecture is way more enriching in some ways and really empowers you to feel your faith in ways.”
Pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of Detroit
For the final week of Jubilee Year 2025, which ends Jan. 6, the Archdiocese of Detroit has designated several pilgrimage sites where individuals can pray the official prayer for the jubilee:
- Blessed Solanus Casey Center, Detroit
- Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit
- Basilica of Ste. Anne, Detroit
- Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield
- Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pontiac
- National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, Royal Oak
- Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, Riverview
- Our Lady of Hope Cemetery, Brownstown
- Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel, Madonna University, Livonia
- Shrine of Jesus, The Divine Mercy, Clinton Township
- Shrine of St. John Paul II, Orchard Lake
- Shrine of St. Joseph, Detroit
