Jubilee Year marks 200th anniversary of St. Louis’ founding as a diocese
Catholics are invited into a “sacred year of reflection, celebration and renewal,” Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said in his announcement of a Bicentennial Jubilee Year for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
The Jubilee Year will open on Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, with parishes ringing their church bells at 10 a.m. The Jubilee Year will continue through Dec. 31, 2026.
“This Jubilee Year invites us to honor the past, celebrate the present and commit ourselves anew to the mission of Christ,” Archbishop Rozanski wrote in a letter to the faithful announcing the Jubilee Year.
The region’s Catholic roots reach back more than 350 years to the earliest missionary encounters in the Mississippi Valley, beginning with the first Mass offered in the settlement of St. Louis in 1764 on the site where the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France (Old Cathedral) stands. By 1818, St. Louis was established as the episcopal seat of a growing frontier Church.
In 1826, Pope Leo XII established the Diocese of St. Louis and entrusted Bishop Joseph Rosati with a vast missionary territory that extended from the Louisiana border to the Rocky Mountains. (Pope Pius IX elevated St. Louis to an archdiocese in 1847.)
“We are heirs to this missionary legacy,” Archbishop Rozanski said. “Our parishes, schools, charitable ministries, religious communities and lay leaders all bear witness to the enduring light of Christ passed down through generations. Now, in our own time, we are called to carry that light forward with courage, joy and faith.”
The Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary has granted a plenary indulgence for the Jubilee Year. To receive an indulgence, faithful must undertake a pious pilgrimage to any of the 15 designated pilgrimage sites in the archdiocese through July 26, while fulfilling the usual conditions.
Parishes and school leaders also have received resources to celebrate the Jubilee Year in ways that best fit each community. “I especially encourage you to lead your parish community in embracing this historic moment, drawing inspiration from our heritage and shining Christ’s light for future generations,” Archbishop Rozanski wrote in a letter to priests. “These ideas are intended to inspire creativity, honor your community’s unique Catholic heritage and strengthen the spirit of unity and mission that defines this historic moment in the life of our Archdiocese.”
