St. Joseph’s, Pocatello, named Jubilee pilgrimage site

For Catholics around the world, this is a special year, a “Jubilee Year.”

St. Joseph’s Church, completed in 1897, is the oldest continuously operating Catholic Church in Idaho. (ICR Photo)

During a Jubilee, the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is flung open, and the people of the Church travel to Rome for special spiritual graces.

It’s also a time when Catholic churches worldwide are designated as sacred places where pilgrims who are not able to travel to Rome may come to experience those same special spiritual graces.

Eastern Idaho Catholics now have another closer option for participating in the 2025 Jubilee activities and obtaining their graces.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Pocatello has been designated a Jubilee pilgrimage site in the state of Idaho by the Bishop Peter F. Christensen.

“In recognition that the faithful of the Diocese of Boise wish to celebrate the Year of Hope by obtaining Jubilee grace and blessing, and to provide as many opportunities as possible for them to do so, I hereby declare and decree St. Joseph’s Chapel in Pocatello, Idaho, a sacred place and pilgrimage site in the Diocese of Boise,” wrote the Bishop.

In the Catholic Church, “ordinary” jubilee years are celebrated every 25 years, while an “extraordinary” jubilee can be proclaimed any year, like the Year of Mercy in 2015.

The 2025 Holy Year is themed “The Year of Hope.” Participants are encouraged to understand themselves as “Pilgrims of Hope.” The papal Bull of Indiction “Spes non confundit” (Hope does not disappoint, c.f., Romans 5:5) provides the official foundation for the 2025 Jubilee and announces its theme. The papal document elaborates on the theme of hope and provides many applications for bringing hope into our modern world.

The document explains that the faithful can obtain a Jubilee indulgence during the holy year (see the sidebar for more information).

Bishop Christensen’s letter designating St. Joseph’s chapel as a pilgrimage site provides the following reasons:

• St. Joseph’s, completed in 1897, is the oldest continuously operating Catholic Church in Idaho. It served as the former pro-cathedral for the Diocese before the current cathedral was constructed in Boise.

• It represents a “spiritual bridge between past generations of Idaho Catholics and the present, creating a tangible connection to the faith heritage of the area.”

• Its location in Pocatello increases accessibility for pilgrims from Southeast Idaho and allows pilgrims from small towns and rural areas greater access to a sacred site.

• Finally, “the symbolic value of naming St. Joseph’s as a Jubilee Church reflects the universal reach of the Church, bringing the blessings of the Jubilee closer to those outside major urban centers like Boise.”

Father Emil Parafiniuk, pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Community, which includes both St. Joseph and St. Anthony Catholic churches, is excited about having a Jubilee pilgrimage site in Pocatello.

“I think the pilgrims will be coming from the whole state of Idaho, and even Utah, Montana and Wyoming, because there are not many churches [that have been designated as sacred sites],” said Father Parafiniuk. “For us, it is a great opportunity to show the beauty of St. Joseph’s Church to other people.”

Holy Spirit Catholic Community has been busy planning special events for their designated holy site. The parish is looking at holding Masses for special groups, hosting Stations of the Cross, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, prayer vigils, opportunities to pray the Rosary, processions and inviting pilgrims from throughout Idaho to take part in special gatherings at St. Joseph’s over the coming year. Special events will be announced as they are finalized.

St. Joseph’s is normally locked when it is not being used for regularly scheduled services, but Father Emil said that pilgrims who would like to visit the church during this Jubilee year can contact the parish office for access.

“We’re going to make it much more open during the Jubilee year,” he said. “We have to replace security cameras and put an alarm system in the sanctuary. For us, the main times this year (for visitors) will be spring, summer and fall. But yes, pilgrims can come now. Our parishioners have a code, but if someone is not a parishioner, it’s enough to contact the parish office, and the church will be opened.”

In the Bull of Indiction, “Spes non confundit,” Pope Francis wrote, “The coming Jubilee will thus be a Holy Year marked by the hope that does not fade, our hope in God.”

“Essentially for us, it’s important to remind ourselves that we have hope in Christ, and Christ is hope for us,” Father Emil concluded.

What is a Jubilee indulgence?

Pilgrims who take part in special activities during the Jubilee year can obtain an indulgence.

The church teaches that an indulgence is an act of mercy on the part of God. He grants from His abundant love the reparation for our acts of sinfulness that we, by ourselves, cannot provide, sparing us the punishment due for some or all our sins. A person who receives a plenary indulgence obtains full remission of punishment for venial sins committed. A person who receives a partial indulgence obtains partial remission. This reparation becomes available to us through other channels of grace when we perform certain acts with a penitent heart.

What are the acts by which the faithful can obtain a Jubilee indulgence? Pope Francis has specified the following: The faithful may make a pilgrimage to a designated holy site, like St. Joseph’s in Pocatello, All Saints Catholic Church in Lewiston, or the Cathedral in Boise. An act of mercy can be made, such as visiting the sick or a prisoner, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, or welcoming a migrant—in a sense, making a pilgrimage to Christ present in them. An act of penance is another option, such as donating to the poor,

abstaining from distractions of various kinds (like social media), or refraining from alcohol. Each of these acts must be accompanied by participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. There must then follow a profession of faith and prayers for Pope Francis and his intentions (an “Our Father,” for example).

Those unable to participate in person due to serious reasons (the elderly, the sick, prisoners) can obtain the Jubilee indulgence by uniting in spirit with the faithful, reciting the Our Father, the Creed and prayers to Mary and to the saints.

The Jubilee indulgence can also be obtained for the deceased, as each of these acts may be offered on behalf of those in purgatory.