POPE LEO CLOSES FINAL HOLY DOOR OF JUBILEE OF HOPE, CELEBRATES MASS ON FEAST OF EPIPHANY

In the following piece, I offer some interesting historical facts about the closing of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica and the celebration during the annual Epiphany Mass of what is called the Epiphany Proclamation.  Interspersed are photos I took this morning during Mass.

POPE LEO CLOSES FINAL HOLY DOOR OF JUBILEE OF HOPE, CELEBRATES MASS ON FEAST OF EPIPHANY

It was an immense honor and joy to be in St. Peter’s Basilica this morning for the closing of the basilica’s Holy Door, the fourth and last Holy Door to be closed, thus ending the 2025 Jubilee of Hope. That historical gesture marked only the second time in Church history that one Pope opened a Holy Door (Pope Francis on December 24, 2024) and a different Pope closed the Holy Door (Pope Leo today at St. Peter’s.

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The Holy Year of 1700 was known as the Jubilee of two popes. The much-loved Pope of the Enlightenment, Innocent XII, called the Jubilee in 1699 but was too ill on Christmas Eve to open the Holy Door, done instead by his delegate, Cardinal Emanuele Bouillon. Innocent XII, 86 at the time of the Jubilee, completed many works through the year but died in September 1700. Elected in November, Pope Clement XI, a month and a day later, closed the Holy Door of St. Peter’s.

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One beautiful liturgical tradition was continued today at Mass, what is known as the Epiphany Proclamation but more commonly called the Announcement of Easter and the Moveable Feasts. The text appeared not only in the small missalette given to the faithful today, it appeared in the December 2025 edition of the beautiful monthly magazine, missal and prayer book. Magnificat.

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The USCCB explains that, “the proclamation of the date of Easter and the other moveable feasts on Epiphany dates from a time when calendars were not readily available. It was necessary to make known the date of Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on its date. The number of Sundays that follow Epiphany, the date of Ash Wednesday, and the number of Sundays that follow Pentecost are all computed in relation to Easter.”

On the Epiphany of the Lord, after the singing of the Gospel, and before the celebrant’s homily, a Deacon or cantor, in keeping with an ancient practice of Holy Church, announces from the ambo the moveable feasts of the current year. Here is what we learned today about 2026 moveable feasts:

Know, dear brethren, that as we have rejoiced in the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, so by the leave of God’s mercy we announce to you also the joy of his Resurrection, who is our Savior.

On the eighteenth day of February will fall Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the fast of the most sacred Lenten season.

On the fifth day of April you will celebrate with joy Easter Day, the Pascal feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

On the fourteenth day of May will be the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

And the twenty-fourth day of May, the feast of Pentecost.

On the fourth day of June, the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

And the twenty-ninth day of November, the first Sunday of Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, so whom is honor and glory forever and ever. Amen

(Video highlights of today’s Epiphany Mass and closing of St. Peter’s Holy Door: Pope Leo XIV closes the Holy Door, concluding Jubilee Year of Hope on the Lord’s Epiphany – Vatican News

Full video of closing of St. Peter’s Holy Door and the mass of the Epiphany: Pope Leo XIV closes the Holy Door, concluding Jubilee Year of Hope on the Lord’s Epiphany – Vatican News)

 

ST. PETER’S HOLY DOOR, A GIFT FROM SWISS CATHOLICS

ST. PETER’S HOLY DOOR, A GIFT FROM SWISS CATHOLICS

When I was researching the four major papal basilicas for my book, “A Holy Year in Rome – The Complete Pilgrim’s Guide for the jubilee of Mercy,” I naturally focused on the Holy Doors of each basilica – St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul’s Outside the Walls as they were all opened (and closed, of course) for that Jubilee year.

Given that today marked not only the beautiful feast of the Epiphany but the closing of the fourth Holy Door on a papal basilica, St. Peter’s, and the end of the Jubilee of Hope, I decided to share with you what I wrote I my book about that particular door (page 72). I am guessing that all of the Vatican’s Swiss Guards already know this but just in case….

In the atrium of the basilica, there are five doors…”To the extreme right is the Holy Door. This was donated by Swiss Catholics to Pope Pius XII for the 1950 Holy Year. It was sculpted by Siena artist Vico Consorti and replaced the wood panels of the inner door that had been inaugurated on Christmas Eve 1749 by Benedict XIV. It has 16 panels, 15 of which depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments: the expulsion from the garden of Eden, the Annunciation, the baptism of Christ, the good shepherd, the prodigal son, the resurrection of Lazarus, the healing of the paralytic, the adulterous, the repentant thief, the good thief, the doubting Thomas, the sacrament of penance, the conversion of Saint Paul, and the Resurrection. The last panel is the opening of the Holy Door by Pius XII.

When I walked through the Holy Door:

PS. I continue to receive royalties from my book as it is truly an excellent pilgrim’s guide to Rome, Vatican City and Castelgandolgo. Chapters IV and XII are no longer timely, but all the rest are indeed. Chapter IV contains papal documents for the Jubilee of Mercy and Chapter XII refers to the church of Santa Susanna, home to Catholic Americans for 94 years until we had to move. Our community is now at St. Patrick’s Church. There is a Kindle version.