Hyderabad Catholic creatives celebrate Jubilee Year

It was a confluence of faith and creativity as writers, editors, classical artistes, filmmakers and top executives from TV channels from the Catholic community met at St Patrick’s School, Secunderabad on February 16, to mark the Jubilee Year celebration of the Church.

The Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year is traditionally observed every 25 years, with the last one held in 2000. Pope Francis has designated the theme for this Jubilee as ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’

Rooted in the Book of Leviticus (25:8-13), the concept of Jubilee traces back to ancient times when every 50th year was marked as a time for ‘debt forgiveness, the liberation of slaves, and the restoration of land’. In Christian tradition, it calls for spiritual renewal.

A key highlight of the Jubilee Year is the opening of the Holy Doors at Rome’s four major basilicas — St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. These doors, opened only during a Jubilee, invite pilgrims to walk through them as a symbolic journey of faith.

The event, co-organised by the Pauline Sisters, a congregation of the Daughters of St. Paul, was led by Fr. Dr. D. Ravi Sekhar SJ. He initiated the efforts in November 2024 with the support of Cardinal Poola Anthony and the Archdiocese of Hyderabad, shaping a well-structured Jubilee programme. The event was attended by Fr. Dr I Lourdu Raj SJ, the CEO of the TV channel Divyavani, Fr. Challa David, Editor of Bharatamitram, a seven-decade-old magazine and Fr. P Sudhakar, Director of Amrutavani Communications Centre.

The rationale behind this initiative stems from the Jubilee Calendar prepared by Pope Francis, which outlines specific themes for each month of the year, shares Fr. Ravi. For instance, January 24-25 was dedicated to the World Communication Jubilee, February 15-18 focused on artists, March 8-9 was designated for NGOs and organisations, April highlights the contributions of medical workers, and so on.

Fr. Ravi says, “Since the St. Paul’s congregation is deeply involved in the communication ministry, and I have an artistic background — a doctorate in Carnatic vocals from Telugu University — it felt natural to bring together media professionals and artistes to celebrate the Jubilee. This led to the formation of Sunday’s ensemble.”

The event, attended by 65 participants, featured insightful discussions on the significance of the Jubilee Year and how each could contribute to the celebration through their respective fields.

Looking ahead, Fr. Ravi outlines the programme’s goal as ‘igniting a spark — informing and inspiring’. He adds, “I believe we have largely succeeded in that.”

The next step, he explains, is to channel this enthusiasm into creative expression. “Whether they are poets, storytellers, musicians, or dancers, participants are encouraged to draw inspiration from the Jubilee theme — ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’ ”