Happy New Year!
This is an especially important year for Christians, as Pope Francis is encouraging us to mark the 2,025th anniversary of the Incarnation of Our Lord as a Year of Jubilee.
When he announced that 2025 would be the Jubilee Year of Hope, Pope Francis wrote that, “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us [sic] and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire…”
There are many ways each of us can “contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust.” Prayer, of course, is first and foremost. Our unceasing prayer (Thess. 5:17) helps us in living our faith with Christ.
Your financial contributions are also helping build hope. Our Advent appeal has seen a tremendous response with more than $23,000 raised. This will allow us to fulfill requests from chaplains in hospice centers, prisons, the military and other places where people are in desperate need of hope. I’m profoundly grateful for each gift—thank you!
Pilgrimages are a practical way Christians can expand their vision of God’s hope for the world. This June 17–26, my husband, John, and I, along with our pastor, are 
leading a group of pilgrims to sacred places across France, including the recently restored Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, the home of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face in Lisieux, the holy sites in Lourdes, and Mont-Saint-Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the original medieval pilgrimage destinations. You’ll find more information on our website. Regardless of whether you can journey with us physically, I ask that you join us in prayer.
May this Jubilee Year of Hope renew and strengthen you and me in knowing God’s great abiding, unconditional love for every person. May we find our prayer life to be as St. Thérèse described hers: “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”
In gratitude,
Helen Osman,
Chairperson, Living Faith Foundation
