The Jubilee Year, six months on…
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Director of our charity, Patrick O’Dowd, looks back at the Jubilee Year and how its legacy is still continuing six months on…
“Each of us is called to offer new signs of hope that will bear witness to Christian charity, just as many saints have done over the centuries.”
Pope Leo XIV, World Day of the Poor 2025
The Jubilee Year which drew to a close in January, was a year-long opportunity for us all to take time to pause and reflect. But, six months since it drew to a close, the powerful themes of the Jubilee continue to underpin our work and purpose.
The Jubilee Year offered a powerful theme of hope, reminding us that no matter how challenging life may feel, God’s promise of grace and restoration is ever present.
Driven by Pope Francis’s theme, Pilgrims of Hope, the year was an invitation to journey together with open hearts and renewed faith – a longing for a brighter future.
In this ever-fractured world, it can be easy to lose hope.
Latest figures from the government have showed almost one in three children in our diocese are living in poverty, many communities are facing discrimination, thousands of people are displaced or isolated.
There are so many things that could divide us but it’s arguably more important than ever that we show solidarity, harmony and love for each other. We can’t lose hope, even in the midst of adversity or during times of turmoil.
In our charity, hope and the dignity of every person we encounter is central to everything we do. We believe everyone deserves a safe, secure place to call home and a positive future.
Six months after the Jubilee Year officially ended, I’m proud that at Caritas we’re continuing to respond to its call, upholding its messages and teachings. Nurturing an environment of inclusion and compassion, we’ve carried on walking forward together with people most in need in Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
The Jubilee Year gave us a chance to pause. It allowed us all to take time to think about our identity, our culture, our language and our purpose. It reminded us why we do what we do, and the real, tangible impact it has on the lives of many people in our communities locally.
We’ve refreshed our organisational strategy, ensuring that hope is one of the main pillars underpinning our work. We’ve prepared resources and information which have been published for parish communities, schools and others in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and beyond to access – encouraging them to take positive, tangible action and support neighbours, friends, colleagues, and strangers in need. The positive response from people across the diocese has shown how these materials sparked reflection, conversation, and concrete acts of service.
We’ve reached out even wider, working with local media and partners to provide insight into what the Jubilee Year meant to the Catholic community and how we want to enter into dialogue, working alongside people of all faiths and none to bring greater hope, even through the most challenging of times.
For those without a home, we’ve expanded our efforts to provide not just accommodation but pathways to long-term independent housing, emotional healing, and community integration. We’re working towards the building of truly inclusive communities where everyone is respected and all voices are heard.
Schools locally have joined with us, supporting our work by taking action in their communities too, some by fundraising, others by encouraging young people to become active in their area, helping bring about important change and justice.
Raising awareness of the issues and decisions which affect people accessing our services has also been vital to the work we’ve been doing this year so far. Campaigning for changes such as the lifting of the two-child benefit limit has led to important improvements to help families locally. The legacy of the Jubilee Year has certainly encouraged us to speak boldly and be unashamed to call out those things which are holding back individuals and families, and affecting their dignity too.
Pilgrims of hope means that all of humanity is included and we are working really closely with people who access our services, encouraging them to participate and co-produce their delivery. Many have also taken up the call to volunteer their time, supporting our wider staff team and giving something back to help others experiencing similar challenges to them.
There is much we have to contend with every day – from funding pressures to system weaknesses in society – but the Jubilee Year has reminded us of the importance of keeping a vital eye on the long-term mission.
The need to continue our work until no-one is living in poverty or experiencing homelessness in Greater Manchester or Lancashire remains and, in order to move closer to achieving that ambitious mission, we must carry on repairing relationships strained by division, nurture a positive and dignified environment for all, and – most importantly – maintain hope.
Hope that translates into tangible change for people in need. Change that means no-one should be forgotten or left behind.
“Every form of poverty, without exception, calls us to experience the Gospel concretely and to offer effective signs of hope.”
Pope Leo XIV, World Day of the Poor 2025
Click here to find out more about how your parish can get involved in our work.