Jubilee year and synod at top of CCCB’s plenary meeting agenda

Canada’s bishops began their 2024 plenary assembly with the ancient invocation of the Holy Spirit Venite Creator Spiritus, but in their message to Pope Francis they used a different Latin phrase as they spoke of a new modus operandi in the Church

The 79 bishops of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) met from Sept. 23 to 27 at a conference centre situated in the shadow of Mont Ste. Anne, near the national shrine of the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, east of Quebec City. The location was chosen to mark the celebration of the Archdiocese of Quebec’s 350th anniversary.

The first day of the plenary was the front-facing portion of the assembly and also served as a day of tone-setting for the entire week. In addition to the historic Quebec anniversary dimension, CCCB president Bishop William McGrattan noted the bishops were also gathering on the “eve of the second session of the Bishops Synod on Synodality in Rome and in anticipation of the Jubilee Year of Hope in 2025.”

Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller will be attending the synod session in Rome from Oct. 2 to 27, joining fellow Canadians Bishop Marc Pelchat of Quebec, Bishop Alain Faubert of Valleyfield, Que., and Bishop McGrattan of Calgary.

The synod and the 2025 jubilee year established the framework for the bishops’ assembly. Moncton Archbishop Guy Desrochers is the episcopal point-person for the Canadian celebration of Jubilee 2025 and spoke about planning for events in both Rome and Canada. Archbishop Desrochers noted that Pope Francis is directing the jubilee toward the Christian virtue of hope through the theme Pilgrims of Hope, because he knows the world is “in need of hope, because of war and poverty, and a lack of solidarity.”

The Pope’s intention, said Archbishop Desrocher, “is to give us hope in this dire world we live in.”

In doing so, the Pope is sending a global invitation to pilgrimage, he said. “In fact, to go on pilgrimage is a way to unite us. In every diocese, we are trying to reach out to all the people so that they will celebrate. Even if they can’t go to Rome, they can celebrate in their own diocese locally in many ways.”

Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, delivered the plenary keynote remotely from Rome, speaking directly about the implications of the synodal process for episcopal ministry.

Each diocesan bishop is the “indispensable subject of the synodal process,” Cardinal Grech said, noting the synod encourages a “healthy decentralization.” It is a “new scheme, new method,” but “without the bishop there is no ecclesial discernment.”

Identifying “service” as the foundation of episcopal authority, he urged the gathered bishops to “never forget that for the disciples of Jesus, yesterday, today, and always, the only authority is the possibility of service.”

Over the five-day session, which was closed to the public, the bishops were to spend two lengthy sessions discussing an “organizational review” of the CCCB, said Bishop McGrattan.

“We will be receiving recommendations that are the result of a two-year process of research, review, consultation and discernment guided by the Permanent Council to see where and how we might improve the governance, administration and functioning of the conference.”

In listening to the bishops and CCCB staff, the council has been “modelling the synodal method,” Bishop McGrattan said.

The end of the first day of the XVI General Assembly ended with a 15-minute bilingual address from the papal nuncio to Canada, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, who told the bishops there is “no fruitful ministry without communion with the See of Rome.”

“Beyond organizational considerations and important sharing of resources, given that we wrestle with many pressing spiritual, moral and social issues, living as we do in a society characterized by polarization and division, it is absolutely necessary that we bishops reserve and enhance not only the unity of faith and worship, but a collegiality that is affective and effective among ourselves,” Archbishop Jurkovic said.

The bishops also joined Quebec Cardinal Gerald Lacroix and Pope Francis’ special envoy Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille, for a solemn Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Notre Dame de Quebec, in thanksgiving for the first Catholic diocese of North America.

Preparing for Jubilee Year 2025

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has rolled out a series of events, resources, and initiatives in preparation for Jubilee Year 2025, themed “Pilgrims of Hope” by Pope Francis.

The CCCB said the jubilee is an opportunity for “the faithful worldwide to renew their hope and actively engage in this sacred time.”

Last year, the CCCB launched a series of webinars to prepare for the jubilee. The focus for 2023 was Year of the Council, looking at the Second Vatican Council. For 2024, Year of Prayer, the CCCB created a series entitled “A Great Symphony of Prayer” with reflections on the Our Father, Mary, the saints, and Scripture.

The CCCB is also preparing toolkits for adult faith formation, catechetical resources for children, and a social media kit including banners and prayer cards to promote local and national celebrations.

As part of the spiritual journey, the faithful are encouraged to make pilgrimages to Canada’s national shrines in 2025, where unique celebrations aligned with jubilee themes will take place. The CCCB is providing resources from the Vatican’s Jubilee Office at the Dicastery for Evangelization.

The Jubilee Year will start with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 24, 2024, and ends with its closing on Jan. 6, 2026.

Pope Francis has asked that special Masses be celebrated in cathedrals worldwide on Dec. 29, 2024.

Jubilee plans for the Archdiocese of Vancouver will be announced once they’re finalized.

For more information on the Jubilee Year 2025 and to access the resources, visit the CCCB’s Jubilee webpage at cccb.ca.

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