Pope Proclaims 2026 Jubilee Year of St. Francis

Artistic rendering of death of St. Francis of Assisi.

With all of the world and national news events that have occurred since the beginning of this calendar year, Catholics may have missed the announcement by Pope Leo XIV in early January. He proclaimed a special Jubilee year of St. Francis from Jan. 10, 2026, to Jan. 10, 2027, to mark the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi in 1226.

The Church highlights St. Francis as a model for navigating modern challenges, focusing on his commitment to peace and care for creation, as well as poverty and humility.

In our Diocese of St. Augustine, Franciscans were early missionaries to Native Americans, including the Timucuans. There was a significant Franciscan monastery in St. Augustine, Florida, which served as the Spanish province’s mission headquarters for 175 years. The original site is now the location of St. Francis Barracks, the headquarters for the Florida National Guard.

It is interesting to me that 2026, which is a Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi, is also the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country in 1776. May we be guided by the peaceful, humble St. Francis as we celebrate this anniversary.