Holy Year of Jubilee
Every 25 years the Catholic Church declares a Holy Year of Jubilee. The pope opens special holy doors in the four major basilicas in Rome: St. Peter's, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul's. Thousands of pilgrims come to Rome to process through one or more of these holy doors, confess their sins, receive the Eucharist, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. By making this spiritual pilgrimage, the faithful may gain a plenary indulgence: remission of the temporal punishment due to their sins.
In the Diocese of Oakland, the Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland and Mission San Jose in Fremont are permanently designated sites for every day of the 2025 Holy Year.
Pilgrims may come as individuals, or arrange group pilgrimages with their parish, school, or clubs: Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Knights of Columbus, confirmation classes, Divine Mercy and youth groups, Legion of Mary, Cursillo and charismatic prayer groups, etc. If you are making a pilgrimage as a group, please contact the Cathedral or Mission San Jose parish offices to make prior arrangements.
Jubilee Grace How to obtain a Plenary Indulgence
In order to gain the Jubilee Plenary Indulgence, pilgrims need to:
Make a pious pilgrimage by visiting a designated site
Receive Holy Communion
Go to confession
And pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.
You may receive Holy Communion and make your confession during a 'grace period' of 20 days before or after your visit to a pilgrimage church.
The Holy Father has many other suggestions for prayer and service to the Church connected to the Jubilee theme of "Hope" which you may enjoy reading about here:
Schedule
In order to make the Holy Year pilgrimage indulgence available to as many people as possible, the following churches and chapels in the various regions of the diocese are "Designated Pilgrimage Sites" for one day only:
| January 19 (Sun) | Holy Year Opening Mass Cathedral of Christ the Light* www.ctlcathedral.org | Oakland |
| February 7 (Fri) | St. Bonaventure www.stbonaventure.net | Concord |
| March 7 (Fri) | Corpus Christi - Region 1 Central www.corpuschristipiedmont.org | Piedmont |
| April 11 (Fri) | Mission San Jose* www.saintjosephmsj.org | Fremont |
| May 13 (Tue) | Saint Perpetua - Region 2 Northwest www.stperpetua.org | Lafayette |
| June 22 (Sun) | Monastery of Discalced Carmelite Nuns www.carmelofkensington.org | Kensington |
| July 3 (Thu) | Saint Anthony - Region 3 Northeast www.stanthonyoakley.com | Oakley |
| August 1 (Fri) | Saint Joseph Basilica www.sjbalameda.org | Alameda |
| September 12 (Fri) | Saint Isidore - Region 4 Southeast www.sichurch.com | Danville |
| October 7 (Tue) | Cathedral of Christ the Light* www.ctlcathedral.org | Oakland |
| November 7 (Fri) | Saint Felicitas - Region 5 Southwest www.stfelicitassl.org | San Leandro |
| December 28 (Sun) | Cathedral of Christ the Light* Holy Year Closing Mass www.ctlcathedral.org | Oakland |
*The Cathedral and Mission San Jose are planning special Masses and/or services on these days.
Although they are designated sites for the entire Holy Year, they are included on the list for convenience.
On these designated days, these churches will celebrate a morning Mass, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament all day, and offer extended hours for confessions. In the evening, Bishop Michael Barber, SJ, will close the day by celebrating a holy hour, vespers and benediction.
Please check the parish websites and bulletins closer to the dates for the exact times of Mass, confession and holy hour.