DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Janice Umaña was headed to a party the evening of Jan. 10 when she received a reminder about a special youth event at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James.
The 15-year-old parishioner of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Jamaica read the message from its pastor, Father Victor Manuel Bolaños, describing a meeting with Bishop Robert Brennan about Jubilee Year 2025.
Janice decided to change her plans and ended up among an estimated 300 people at the 7 p.m. holy hour for youth and young adults to commemorate the opening of the global Jubilee Year.
“I was excited,” Janice said. “It’s something that not all kids experience at my age. I feel lucky and chosen.”
Every 25 years, the pope calls for a Jubilee Year, a time of spiritual renewal to strengthen the faith of Catholics worldwide. This year’s theme is “Pilgrims of Hope.”
Janice explained after the event that the Jubilee is exactly what she needs.
“I’ve been looking forward to growing in faith,” she said. “I don’t have the faith that I should have. I say I do, but deep down, I don’t. I just want to get closer.”
The packed cathedral on a Friday night showed that hundreds of Janice’s peers, like her fellow parishioner Mariana Juarez, feel the same way.
“Honestly, the jubilee came at a perfect time for me. I have a lot going on, so it’s very easy for me to fall off track,” said Juarez, 21, noting that the jubilee has inspired her to deepen her contact with the Lord.
“I’m praying more than before to be in that constant communication with Christ,” she added. “I’m just telling him about my worries, leaving them all to Him.”
Bishop Brennan praised the representation of youth groups, as well as the altar servers from the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, Cathedral Preparatory High School and Seminary, and others from the Jornada movement and the Neocatechumenal Way.
“We had a full cathedral here tonight,” Bishop Brennan said. “All came to be with the Lord and to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.”
Testimonies were delivered by Lucia Morales, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s associate director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, and Edwin Tubat, a graduate of Cathedral Prep in Elmhurst, who is currently enrolled at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio.
Tubat told the congregation how faith helped him at a time when he was saddled with financial burdens, strained family relationships, and academic challenges.
“Once I placed my trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, all things fell into place,” he said. “And I did this by saying ‘yes’ to daily Mass, being open about my discernment to my vocation, and even just saying this testimony to you.”
Tubat encouraged everyone to say “yes” to Jesus during the Jubilee, explaining that “He will help you, and He will guide you in the new year.”
Morales said her testimony was her final task in her role for the Youth and Young Adult Ministry because she has a new career opportunity. She reflected on the importance of hope and faith and how hope requires trust, vision, and hard work. She said being Catholic doesn’t negate hard times, disappointments, and sadness.
Instead, she added, the faith is “still looking at Jesus, knowing that He is with you and knowing that He loves you for who you are. It is knowing that even if it takes 12 years, your faith will save you, and it will bring you eternal life.”
Father James Kuroly is director of the diocese’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry and the rector and president at Cathedral Prep. He commended the words from Tubat, a former student, and Morales, now a former employee.
Father Kuroly said he is proud of Morales’ work for the diocese and that Tubat’s testimony exemplifies “youth evangelizing youth.”
“It’s one thing for the bishop, for priests, for parents, to speak about their faith,” Father Kuroly said. “It’s another thing when [youth] hear somebody who’s really journeying with them, who really knows what it means to be a young person in the Church today.
“But as wonderful as it was that Edwin spoke to the young people, he spoke to me, he spoke to the priests, and he inspired us as well.”
A holy hour is not the same as the Mass, so holy Communion was not shared. However, Bishop Brennan carried the Eucharist in a monstrance throughout the cathedral, giving everyone the chance to behold the true presence of Christ.
