Pope John Paul II declared that the Catholic Church would celebrate a Holy Year or Jubilee Year from Christmas Eve, December 24, 1999, to the Epiphany, January 6, 2001.
Jubilee 2000
The Jubilee of the year 2000 was especially important because it was a celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ. It was also the first Holy Year which marked the turn of a millennium since the first Jubilee proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300.
“For Christians then, the Jubilee of the Year 2000 should be a great prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God for the gift of the Incarnation of His Son and the Redemption He brings,” said a Vatican document proclaiming the Jubilee Year.
Like previous Jubilee years, it was a celebration of the mercy of God and forgiveness of sins. It was convoked to strengthen faith, to encourage works of charity and brotherly communion within the Church and in society, and to call Christians to be more sincere in their faith in Christ.
The official logo of the Jubilee of 2000 featured its motto with the Latin meaning: Christ Yesterday, Today, and Forever.
The Holy Father also announced that the Jubilee would honor the many martyrs of the 20th Century, especially those killed under Nazism, communism, and racial or tribal conflicts. The martyrs were remembered in an ecumenical service on May 7, 2000.
RENEW 2000
The Diocese of Madison actually began its preparation for the Jubilee Year by adopting the RENEW 2000 program in 1997. RENEW 2000 was a pastoral response to the call of Pope John Paul II for a new evangelization, spiritual conversion, and renewal in preparation for the Jubilee 2000.
RENEW 2000 was a three-year program which challenged parishes to move into the 21st Century by seeking to help people grow spiritually, to strengthen Christian values in the family, to reach out to young people, and to work for justice and peace.
Sr. Edith Gorski, who had been associate director of the diocesan Office of Family Ministry and director of the diocesan Marriage Preparation Program, was named diocesan director of the RENEW 2000 program.
The program officially kicked off on Sunday, Oct. 4, 1998, with a special liturgy prepared by Dr. Patrick Gorman, director of the diocesan Office of Worship, celebrated in all churches in the diocese. For the next six weeks, once a week parishioners gathered in small Christian communities to pray, reflect on, and share their faith and discuss how to live it out today.
RENEW 2000 continued for five seasons over three years engaging a large segment of the people in the diocese in faith-sharing and commitment to living out their faith to strengthen the Church in the family and parish.
Papal awards
A highlight of the Jubilee Year was the conferring of honors given by Pope John Paul II upon 24 people in the Diocese of Madison.
The honors were bestowed during a Solemn Vespers service held on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2001, at St. Raphael Cathedral in Madison.
Five men received the papal honor of Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory. Nineteen persons received the papal honor of the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (Cross for the Church and Pontiff).
Source: Archives of the Catholic Herald newspaper.
Mary C. Uhler served on the staff of the Catholic Herald-Diocese of Madison for almost 47 years, the last 34 years as editor. She retired in July of 2020.