Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,
As some of you may have already heard, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, announced on January 6 that he accepted the resignation of Cardinal Wilton Gregory as our archbishop. (Every bishop must submit a letter of resignation at 75, and Cardinal Gregory’s was accepted two years after the fact.) At the same time, the Pope appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy from the Diocese of San Diego to be the eighth Archbishop of Washington. The date for Cardinal McElroy’s installation Mass has not yet been released. We thank Cardinal Gregory for his six years shepherding the church of Washington, which began under very difficult circumstances and culminated in the largest priestly ordination class in the country last year. We also warmly welcome our new shepherd, Cardinal McElroy, assuring him of our prayers for his faithful and fruitful stewardship of our local church.
Every twenty-five years the Church celebrates what is known as a Jubilee Year. A jubilee is special occasion of grace, reconciliation, works of mercy, and conversion. The great news for us is that 2025 is a Jubilee Year. Pope Francis has declared it to be the Jubilee of Hope. Throughout this year there are ample opportunities for (local or international) pilgrimages, the gaining of plenary indulgences, special Masses of celebration, and more. Although I will have much more to communicate throughout this year on this Jubilee of Hope, I encourage you to fill yourselves in on the Jubilee by visiting the Archdiocese of Washington website’s excellent section on the 2025 Jubilee (available in English and Spanish): www.adw.org.
In Christ,
Fr. Dave
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