The Jubilee of Consecrated Life officially opened on 8 October 2025 in Rome, bringing together over 16,000 consecrated men and women from nearly 100 countries. Organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, the event began with a pilgrimage through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, symbolizing a journey of grace, renewal, and unity.
The day featured prayer, hymns, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, followed by a Prayer Vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica led by Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB, on the theme “Pilgrims of Hope on the Paths of Peace.”
The vigil unfolded in three moments of reflection and testimony:
- “Christ, Our Peace, Source of Hope” – Meditations on fragile yet enduring hope, with a reflection connecting the suffering of refugees to universal compassion.
- “Called to Be Peacemakers” – Emphasis on patience and daily acts of love that sustain hope amid discouragement.
- “…and Pilgrims of Hope!” – A call to see mission as a way of being, not merely doing, through lives freely given in service.
Additional testimonies highlighted hope amid pain, especially from the Middle East. In his homily, Cardinal Fernández Artime entrusted consecrated life to Mary, portraying her as the living image of faith in motion—bringing hope, encounter, and peace wherever she goes.
The vigil ended in silent prayer and intercession for world peace, with participants joining in the hymn “Pilgrims of Hope,” expressing the enduring conviction that hope is what keeps the Church moving forward.
On the second day the consecrated men and women belonging to various congregations, monasteries and institutions gathered at St. Peter’s Square for the opening Holy Eucharist presided over by Pope Leo.
During the Mass for the Jubilee of Consecrated Life in Rome, Pope Leo XIV urged thousands of religious men and women to embody the Beatitudes—being poor, meek, merciful, pure of heart, and hungry for holiness—and to live as “witnesses of the goods to come.”
Centering his homily on the Gospel verse “Ask, seek, knock” (Lk 11:9), the Pope reflected on these as three key attitudes of consecrated life:
- To ask – recognizing one’s poverty and that all is a gift from God.
- To seek – opening oneself in obedience to God’s daily call to holiness.
- To knock – offering one’s gifts selflessly in love and service to others.
The Pope reminded consecrated persons that their vows make them a “prophetic sign”—people who abandon themselves like children in the Father’s arms. He emphasized that for them, “the Lord is everything”—the Creator, love that calls, and strength that inspires.
Finally, Pope Leo called on all consecrated people to live these three actions with their eyes fixed on eternity, becoming living witnesses to the primacy of God and signs of the eternal life to come, as affirmed by Lumen Gentium of Vatican II.
ST/ Scala News
The event:
https://www.vitaconsacrata.va/en/eventi/iubilaeum2025/agenda-degli-eventi.html
Homily of Pope Leo on 9th October 2025
