JUBILEE YEAR of
St Francis
Centuries on
Eight hundred years ago this year our Holy Father, St Francis of Assisi, embraced Sister Death, and passed over into eternal life. Though living barely twenty years after his conversion, Francis left such an enduring mark on the Church that even today, eight centuries on, men continue to join his ranks as Friars Minor.
Jubilee Year
At that behest of Pope Leo XIV, the Apostolic Penitentiary has decreed an extraordinary Jubilee Year from January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, to mark this great milestone. Inspired by the “Pardon of Assisi” granted by Pope Honorius III to St. Francis in 1216, a plenary indulgence is offered to the faithful who make a pilgrimage to any Franciscan conventual church, or place of worship dedicated to St. Francis, in any part of the world and complete the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions).
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If you are unable to undertake a pilgrimage, the plenary indulgence will be granted to you if you spiritually join the Jubilee celebrations and offer your prayers, pains, or sufferings to God.
Pope Leo’s Prayer
to
St. Francis of Assisi
​Saint Francis, our brother, you who eight hundred years ago
went to meet Sister Death as a man at peace,
intercede for us before the Lord.
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You recognized true peace in the Crucifix of San Damiano,
teach us to seek in Him the source of all reconciliation
that breaks down every wall.
You who, unarmed, crossed the lines of war
and misunderstanding,
give us the courage to build bridges
where the world raises up boundaries.
In this time afflicted by conflict and division,
intercede for us so that we may become peacemakers:
unarmed and disarming witnesses of the peace
that comes from Christ. Amen.