At the conclusion of the Angelus on December 8, 2021, Pope Francis concluded the Jubilee Year dedicated to Saint Joseph. He also announced that the Jubilee Year dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto would end in Loreto on December 10.
St. Joseph and his wife the Virgin Mary, the pontiff stressed, are "guides on the path of holiness." He thanked all those who have brought to life these years of celebrations dedicated to Joseph and Mary—the Holy Family—in 2021.
With a decree published on December 8, 2020, the Holy See had announced plans to dedicate 2021 to St. Joseph, protector of the Holy Family. To conclude this Year—during which all the dioceses of the world were called to pray to the adoptive father of Jesus—Pope Francis began a catechesis on St. Joseph at the end of November that he is expected to continue in the coming weeks.
Closing the Laurentian Jubilee
The Jubilee of Our Lady of Loreto—a Marian shrine in Italy—was originally planned for 2020 but was postponed to 2021 after the first months of pandemic-related containment. Our Lady of Loreto is the patron saint of aviators, and events have been held throughout the year at airports to honor her. December 10 is her feast day.
