The Diocese of Phan Thiet in Vietnam formally closed the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025 on Sunday with a solemn diocesan Mass, concluding a year devoted to prayer, conversion, and renewed faith.
Celebrated at 9 a.m. on Dec. 28 at Phan Thiet Cathedral, the Mass coincided with the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
Bishop Joseph Do Manh Hung presided over the liturgy at the cathedral, the mother church of the diocese.
In his homily, Bishop Hung said the close of the Jubilee Year did not mark an end to grace but the beginning of renewed Christian life.
“We return to the rhythm of ordinary life, but not as before, rather with hearts renewed by God’s grace,” the bishop said.
Reflecting on the Holy Family of Nazareth, the bishop urged the faithful to live with God at the center, despite human limitations and daily challenges.
He linked the reflection to the Jubilee theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” stressing that Christian hope is rooted in faith and sustained through relationship with God.
“Hope does not separate us from reality, but helps us walk courageously within it with the light of Christ,” he said.
The Mass included special Jubilee rites, including the veneration of the Jubilee Cross as a symbol of conversion and reconciliation.
After the Prayer after Communion, the bishop imparted a solemn blessing, sending the faithful back to daily life with the mission of witnessing to the Gospel.
Following the Eucharistic celebration, the diocese held the reception, procession, and veneration of the relic of Saint Carlo Acutis.
Before the rite, Bishop Hung said the Jubilee had ended, but the journey of hope continues, presenting Saint Carlo Acutis as a model for young people.
Saint Carlo Acutis was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 7, 2025, and his relic was given to the diocese by the Holy See.
The diocese announced the relic will also be venerated during the New Year’s Eve Mass on Dec. 31 at the Ta Pao Marian Center.
The relic will now be available for veneration at both Phan Thiet Cathedral and the Ta Pao Marian Center.
Church leaders said the sites are intended to support prayer and reflection, particularly among young people.
