On December 29, 2024, the Holy Year was opened in the Archdiocese of Paderborn under the worldwide motto “Pilgrims of Hope”. Archbishop Dr. Bentz had invited full-time and volunteer staff from the entire archdiocese, including us Franciscan sisters from Salzkotten, to celebrate the service with him. It should be “a year of hope, a year of confidence and a year of love,” explained the archbishop. First, the archbishop invited people to venerate the cross before the procession finally entered the cathedral. Here, the jubilee cross was attached to the glass stele of the Holy Year and blessed.

Christian hope is based on two essential ideas: “God goes with his people into an ever new future,” explained Archbishop Dr. Bentz. “Despite all the suffering and destruction, God does not abandon his people. He heals, he saves, he goes with us through time, enables a new beginning, gives us the strength to get up and move on.” After the service, many people met to form the “Storytelling Community of Hope”. Twelve specific places of hope have been identified in the Archdiocese of Paderborn. Month after month, a topic is highlighted and the people who are committed to it are made visible. These are precisely the places where hope is particularly needed. In May, Salzkotten, with our Francis Spiritual Center, together with the Catholic kindergartens and a small Marian pilgrimage site, will become a “Place of Hope for Families”. All places of hope were presented with a blessed beach flag by the Archbishop during the service.

At the same time, we held nativity scene tours through the mother house and our church for young and old. On New Year’s Eve, we held Eucharistic adoration until midnight, addressing the concerns of our time.

Written by  Sr. M. Alexandra Völzke FCJM

Photos: FCJM Sisters