South Africa’s Catholic Diocese of Kimberley Inaugurates Jubilee Year with Call to “revive the Sacrament of Confession”

“As your Bishop, I urge us as a Diocese to use this Jubilee Year to revive the Sacrament of Confession,” he emphasizes, and continues, “We must work together to place repentance from sin and the reception of God’s forgiveness at the center of our lives as Christians.”

Repentance and reception of God’s mercy, the Local Ordinary of Kimberley since April 2021 says, “are undertaken through regular reception of the Sacrament of Confession.”

He explains, “Our Catechism reminds us of the Church’s command that ‘each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.’ Those aware of having committed a mortal sin must receive sacramental absolution before receiving Holy Communion unless there is grave necessity and no opportunity for confession.”

“I appeal to all parish pastoral councils and sodalities to hold earnest discussions and, while listening to the Holy Spirit, discern effective means of reviving the sacrament of confession in your parish,” Bishop Tsoke says in his January 12 letter.

To express commitment to the Sacrament of Confession, he says, “each and every one of us to resolve to partake in Confession at least once per month throughout the Jubilee Year.”

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Pope Francis officially launched the 2025 Jubilee Year just before Holy Mass on the Eve of Christmas 2024 with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Earlier, in announcing the start of a Year of Prayer on 21 January 2024 in preparation for the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, the second in his Pontificate after the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015, the Holy Father said that the 2025 Jubilee Year will be “a year dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in one’s personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world.”

On the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ on 9 May 2024, Pope Francis solemnly proclaimed the upcoming Jubilee Year 2025 at a ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica, during which he delivered the Bull of Induction of the planned Jubilee, “Spes non confundit” (Hope does not disappoint).

In his four-page Pastoral Letter, Bishop Tsoke urges the people of God under his pastoral care to reach out to those experiencing mental health challenges and give them hope during the 2025 Jubilee Year being celebrated under the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope”.

“The Jubilee Year was a time of rest for the people and the land, as God offered respite to the weary. This notion of a God who provides rest is crucial for us as Christians today, as many struggle with a profound sense of restlessness, which sometimes takes the form of mental health problems or depression,” he says.

Referring to Matthew’s Gospel, Bishop Tsoke says, “During this Jubilee Year, my prayer is that all in our diocese suffering from mental health challenges will discover the Lord who desires to grant them rest, saying to them: ‘Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’”

To guarantee such support, the Catholic Church leaders directs that all Parishes in his Episcopal See “establish a ministry of pastoral counselling to help those with mental health issues encounter the Lord's healing presence.”

He tasks Catholic professionals, including social workers, counsellors, and psychologists to offer advise “on the most effective ways for parishes to provide this vital pastoral support.”

The South African Bishop, who started his Episcopal ministry as Auxiliary Bishop of South Africa’s Johannesburg Catholic Archdiocese in April 2016 says that the 2025 Jubilee Year also “calls us as Christians to learn to find rest in the Lord’s presence, particularly through Eucharistic Adoration.”

“Amidst the noise and chaos of our world, enticing us to be always busy with something, we can discover the importance of connecting with the Lord who gives us rest,” Bishop Tsoke says.

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He adds, “During this Jubilee Year, Parish Priests and Parish pastoral councils should promote Eucharistic Adoration as a means of discovering rest in God’s presence.”

The Jubilee Year provides the people of God across the globe an opportunity to participate in various planned jubilee events at the Vatican and in their respective Episcopal Sees and Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL).

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.