The Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil Concludes the Jubilee Year with a Solemn Liturgical Celebration and the Closing of the Holy Door at St. Joseph Cathedral – Ankawa

The Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil concluded the Jubilee Year on Sunday, 28 December 2025, with a solemn liturgical celebration held at St. Joseph Cathedral in Ankawa. The celebration was presided over by the Archbishop of the Archdiocese, Mar Bashar Matti Warda, with the participation of the deacons and the cathedral choir, in the presence of Fr. Savio Handola, pastor of the cathedral, and a large gathering of the faithful.

This concluding celebration was harmoniously aligned with the rite of the Closing of the Holy Door, which, through its prayers and spirit, encapsulated the Jubilee journey lived by the Archdiocese as one people in faith, hope, and love. At the beginning of the celebration, His Excellency stood with the deacons and the choir at the Holy Door and opened the prayer with words of thanksgiving and praise to God for a year marked by experiences of forgiveness, renewal, and a special communion with the sick, the elderly, prisoners, and the poor—those who “often have no voice before people, yet the Father listens to them and acknowledges them as beloved children.”

The opening text highlighted that Jubilee forgiveness transformed this year into a river of grace and blessing, through which the Lord granted His hope and peace, strengthened weary hands, steadied faltering knees, and addressed every believer with His fatherly call: “Take courage; do not be afraid.” From this profound experience of mercy, the ecclesial community entered a moment of Eucharistic thanksgiving and a plea for forgiveness, with humble awareness that it is a pilgrim Church, always in need of repentance and renewal.

The liturgical procession then entered, led by the choir and the deacons chanting the entrance hymn “Shbāḥ l-Marya b-qodshēh” (“Praise God in His sanctuary”). His Excellency stood before the Holy Door and offered a special prayer, thanking the Father who “opened for His Church during this year the path of salvation and flooded His children with hope,” and imploring the grace of the Holy Spirit so that the steps of the faithful may remain directed toward the blessed hope of encountering the face of God in the heavenly Jerusalem, where the Kingdom reaches its fullness in Christ.

Upon completing the rite of the Closing of the Holy Door, His Excellency addressed the faithful with spiritual words, emphasizing that the conclusion of the Jubilee Year does not signify the end of the gift of forgiveness, but rather a conscious return to the rhythm of daily life, carrying in our hearts the joy of encountering the Lord and holding firmly, without wavering, to the confession of hope, “for He who promised is faithful,” so that the fruits of this year may remain alive and effective in conduct and witness.

The procession then moved to the altar, where His Excellency continued the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. The faithful gathered around the Eucharistic table, offering thanks for a Jubilee Year in which the Archdiocese lived a renewed experience of God’s mercy through the holy sacraments, pilgrimages, prayer, and works of charity.

In addition to its liturgical and catechetical dimension, the Jubilee Year was marked by a tangible pastoral presence in people’s lives. Regular visits were organized for the sick and the elderly in their homes and care centers, expressing the Church’s closeness to those who suffer and its carrying of them in prayer and hope. Jubilee initiatives also included the distribution of food baskets and humanitarian assistance to families in need, translating the Church’s message of mercy and love into concrete action within society.

Within the same framework, pastoral activities included visits to prisons, where priests and pastoral workers met with inmates, bringing them words of consolation and hope, and affirming that the door of divine mercy remains open to every person, regardless of circumstances or past, in harmony with the spirit of the Jubilee that calls for reconciliation and the restoration of human dignity.

This concluding celebration crowned a year rich in spiritual, educational, and pastoral activities organized across the parishes of the Archdiocese of Erbil, within a vision aimed at engaging all age groups in the Jubilee journey. Christian education accompanied the year with programs and meetings that contributed to the formation of students and the deepening of their faith awareness. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul hosted monthly educational gatherings for reflection and dialogue, alongside regular meetings of youth fraternities, aimed at spiritually accompanying young people and strengthening their sense of commitment and ecclesial responsibility.

On a broader ecclesial level, the Jubilee Year also witnessed the organization of three pilgrimage groups to Rome by the Association of Mercy. Participating faithful lived an experience of pilgrimage and prayer at the heart of the universal Church and encountered the dimensions of the Jubilee Year in the holy places, deepening their sense of belonging and shared witness.

As the curtain falls on this blessed year, the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil affirms that the Jubilee journey is not confined to a period of time, but remains an open invitation to live hope daily, to entrench a culture of love and reconciliation, and to embody faith as a living witness in the heart of reality, in service to both the Church and humanity together.