Solemn proclamation of Jubilee set for Ascension Thursday

By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis will preside at various liturgical ceremonies in May, the Vatican has revealed, with the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff publishing a renewed calendar for the coming weeks. 

On Thursday, 9 May, Pope Francis will celebrate Second Vespers for the Solemnity of the Ascension, during which the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee will be proclaimed and published. The Solemnity commemorates Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven forty days after the Resurrection. 

Ten days later, on May 19, Pope Francis will offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost, marking the Descent of the Holy Spirit. 

And the following week, for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the Holy Father will once again preside at the Eucharistic Liturgy. The celebration on 26 May will also be observed as the first World Day of Children. 

The World Day of Children was suggested by a young boy, 9-year-old Alessandro, during a “Popecast” with the Pope Francs ahead of the most recent WYD, in Lisbon. The suggestion was enthusiastically welcomed by the Pope, who made the official announcement of the initiative in December 2023.  

The liturgies of Ascension Thursday and Pentecost will both take place inside St. Peter’s Basilica, while the Mass for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity will be held in St Peter’s Square.

The coming weeks will also see the Pope make a pastoral visit to the Italian city of Venice on 28 April.