AC Wimmer

By AC Wimmer

CNA Newsroom, Jan 1, 2025 / 16:17 pm

The pealing of a precious ancient bell marked a momentous beginning to the 2025 Jubilee Year at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, where Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas opened the Holy Door on Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

The Lithuanian cardinal, elevated to the College of Cardinals in December 2024, presided over the ceremony at Rome’s preeminent Marian shrine, where the “Bell of the Lost” rang out across the Eternal City from atop the Esquiline Hill.

Faithful gather at the flower-adorned Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on Jan. 1, 2025, as the jubilee year gets underway. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Faithful gather at the flower-adorned Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on Jan. 1, 2025, as the jubilee year gets underway. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

In his homily, Makrickas emphasized the bell’s spiritual significance, noting how it has called pilgrims to prayer since the Church’s first jubilee and continues to serve as a sonic symbol of Mary’s guidance, much like the “Star of the Sea” that illuminates the darkness.

Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas blesses the congregation during the opening ceremony of the Holy Door at Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major on Jan. 1, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas blesses the congregation during the opening ceremony of the Holy Door at Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major on Jan. 1, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

“Every pilgrim who crosses the threshold of the Holy Door of this first Marian shrine of the West during the jubilee year will pray before the icon of the Mother of God, Salus Populi Romani, and before the sacred crib of Jesus,” the cardinal said during his homily.

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Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, wearing Marian blue and cream vestments, delivers the homily during the Mass opening the Jubilee Year at Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major on Jan. 1, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, wearing Marian blue and cream vestments, delivers the homily during the Mass opening the Jubilee Year at Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major on Jan. 1, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

The papal basilica, also known as the “Bethlehem of the West,” houses both the venerated icon of Mary and relics of Christ’s crib. Makrickas highlighted how these sacred objects connect to Pope Francis’ document “Spes Non Confundit,” which announced the jubilee year.

A pilgrim touches the bronze panels of the newly-opened Holy Door at St. Mary Major on Jan. 1, 2025, continuing a centuries-old tradition of passing through the sacred portal during jubilee years. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
A pilgrim touches the bronze panels of the newly-opened Holy Door at St. Mary Major on Jan. 1, 2025, continuing a centuries-old tradition of passing through the sacred portal during jubilee years. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Quoting the papal bull, the cardinal reminded the faithful that pilgrims are especially invited to “make a prayer stop at the Marian shrines of the city to venerate the Virgin Mary and invoke her protection.”

The faithful fill the ornate nave of the Basilica of St. Mary Major during the opening Mass of the jubilee year on Jan. 1, 2025, in Rome. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
The faithful fill the ornate nave of the Basilica of St. Mary Major during the opening Mass of the jubilee year on Jan. 1, 2025, in Rome. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

The basilica’s location at the center of a star-shaped road network symbolically evokes the Star of Bethlehem, Makrickas noted, reflecting its 1,600-year mission to serve as “a bright star, at the service of the True Light, pointing to the Savior, true God and true man, born of the Virgin Mary.”

An illuminated Nativity scene display stands before the baroque facade of the Basilica of St. Mary Major at night, with the church's iconic bell tower visible against the dark Roman sky, on Jan. 1, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
An illuminated Nativity scene display stands before the baroque facade of the Basilica of St. Mary Major at night, with the church's iconic bell tower visible against the dark Roman sky, on Jan. 1, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

The cardinal concluded his homily by entrusting the jubilee year to the Mother of God, praying that she might lead all pilgrims to Jesus, “the fullness of time, of all time, of everyone’s time.”

Daniel Ibáñez contributed to this report.

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AC Wimmer
AC Wimmer (刘威猛) is the News Editor for Europe and Asia at EWTN News. The multilingual Australian, raised in Bavaria and South Africa, served as editor-in-chief of several news media outlets. A graduate in Philosophy and Chinese Studies from the University of Melbourne, the veteran journalist is a former Honorary Research Fellow in Communications at his alma mater and served on the Board of Caritas in Munich.