Celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope at DCDSB

In May 2024, Pope Francis announced that the Jubilee Year of Hope would take place from December 24, 2024, to January 6, 2026. To mark this special Holy Year and its theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” the DCDSB Faith Department commissioned a beautiful wooden Jubilee Cross, designed and built by staff and students at Archbishop Denis O’Connor C.H.S. The Cross was blessed during a special Mass in April and then began its journey across our Board. From May through December, it visited every DCDSB school, spending a few days in every community. 

The Jubilee Cross offered schools a meaningful opportunity to pause, pray, and reflect on the significance of this Holy Year and the virtue of hope. Each school embraced the opportunity in creative ways — hosting liturgies, organizing neighbourhood processions, bringing the Cross to local parishes for prayer, and even walking together to pass the Cross to the next school on its pilgrimage. This shared experience reminded us that we are truly “Pilgrims of Hope”, united in faith and community as we journeyed through this Jubilee Year. 

As we recognize that our journey of hope continues, let us keep living and sharing hope through this prayer, offered by the Archdiocese of Dublin: 

The Building Hope Prayer 
Pilgrim God, we give you thanks and praise.
You constantly journey with us even in our darkness and doubts. 

We seek your way of loving kindness to walk together as one family. 

Open our eyes to recognize you in the faces of one another, 
in the breaking of bread and in the splendour of creation. 

May the risen Christ sow seeds of hope and new life deep within us. 

May our hearts and minds be filled with your Word,  
bringing forth truth, justice and peace. 

May the Holy Spirit working in and through us do much more 
than we can dare to imagine 
as we live out our baptismal calling in humble and loving service. 

We make this our prayer through Christ Our Lord. Amen.