{"id":106082,"date":"2020-12-31T11:02:41","date_gmt":"2020-12-31T19:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/?p=106082"},"modified":"2024-12-31T14:23:14","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T22:23:14","slug":"new-year-holy-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/new-year-holy-year\/","title":{"rendered":"New Year, Holy Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A<\/span>s 2020 comes finally to its end, we welcome with hope (and no small amount of trepidation) its sequel, 2021. It’s worth remembering, though, that we are also celebrating some other years as well: holy years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Year of Saint Joseph<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Pope Francis has declared a \u201cYear of Saint Joseph\u201d<\/a> from December 8, 2020 through December 8, 2021. This year is to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of Saint Joseph as patron saint of the Universal Church. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the seven sections of his letter Patris Corde<\/a><\/em> (\u201cWith a Father\u2019s Heart\u201d) the Pope calls our attention to Saint Joseph as a beloved father<\/em>, a tender and loving father<\/em>, an obedient father<\/em>, an accepting father<\/em>, a creatively courageous father<\/em>, a working father<\/em>, and finally as a father in the shadows<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aim of the letter, and by extension the year, is “to increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession, and to imitate his virtues and his zeal”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the letter, the Pope adds a prayer to Saint Joseph, which he encourages all of us to pray together:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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H<\/span>ail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
<\/em>Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,
and defend us from every evil.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Year of the Eucharist<\/h2>\n\n\n
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In my own Archdiocese of Seattle, Archbishop Etienne in his pastoral letter \u201cThe Work of Redemption<\/a>\u201c proclaimed a “Year of the Eucharist” which began on the external Solemnity of Corpus Christi (June 14, 2020) and will conclude on the same feast this coming year (June 6, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his letter, the Archbishop says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During the coming year, I ask every Catholic and every parish community to commit themselves to deepening our understanding and experience of the Eucharist, and strengthening our Eucharistic liturgies.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I’ve written about this before<\/a>, so please check out the article<\/a> where I discuss the Archbishop’s wonderful letter and the celebration of this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Jacobean Holy Year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the Jacobean Holy Year began today, December 31 2020. And what pray tell is a Jacobean Holy Year? These are the years on which the Feast of Saint James the Apostle \u2013 July 25 \u2013 falls on a Sunday. In these years, pilgrims on the Camino can obtain a plenary indulgence<\/a> by making their pilgrimage and walking through the Holy Doors of the Cathedral in Santiago.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo I took<\/a> on Camino of an old sign for the 1943 Jacobean Holy Year<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

These doors are normally sealed, and they are opened during the ceremony that kicks off the holy year. Following the end of the holy year, they are ceremoniously sealed once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a short video produced by Televisi\u00f3n de Galicia to show what unsealing the doors looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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