28 December 2025 @ 11h00 – 12h30
Message from the Archbishop of Gatineau on the Occasion of the Closing of the Jubilee Year 2025
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The Jubilee Year 2025 is drawing to a close. Our diocesan Church of Gatineau has journeyed together as a living community. Guided by the Spirit, we have come to understand more deeply what it means to be “pilgrims of hope.”
I give thanks for your prayers and your participation in each of the diocesan events we shared. I recall the diocesan opening ceremony at the end of December 2024; the Lenten retreat; the 24 Hours for the Lord, a time of adoration, reconciliation, and plenary indulgence. I joyfully remember the moments of prayer, reflection, testimony, and celebration during the Jubilee Festival in June. The Feast of the Sacred Heart, celebrated with the Priests of the Sacred Heart and the English-speaking communities, was another occasion to marvel at the Lord’s goodness to our diocese. I cherish the memory of the pilgrimage to the Notre-Dame-du-Cap Shrine in August, the patronal feast in October, and the World Youth Day celebrated at the cathedral just a few weeks ago. Some of our young people even traveled to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, proudly representing our diocese in the heart of the worldwide pilgrimage. Finally, I give thanks for the coordinating team and the many volunteers who made all these events possible.
The official closing of the Jubilee Year will take place in Rome on January 6. In preparation for this event, the Pope invites all bishops to preside over a similar celebration in their cathedral on Sunday, December 28. Our celebration will be held that day at St. Joseph Cathedral during the 11:00 a.m. Mass. It would be wonderful to welcome people from all our parishes for this joyful occasion. You are most welcome!
I also invite each parish to echo this event in their own celebrations that day, offering thanksgiving for the journey we have made together during this year of grace.
The Jubilee 2025 is more than a memory—it is a seed. Our diocesan pastoral priority for 2025–2027 calls us to continue the journey by strengthening our unity, deepening our roots in our communities, and igniting hope in the hearts of the men and women we encounter. “Together, in the Outaouais, let us sow His light!”
+ Paul-André Durocher