The Jubilee Year of Hope
We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision.
Pope Francis
We are currently celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025, a special year called by Pope Francis for the whole Church. This is a time of renewal, prayer, and joy, when we are invited to walk as “Pilgrims of Hope.”
At Our Lady of the Rosary, we are marking the Jubilee through prayer, worship, and action. The theme is running through our prayer life and daily witness. As a school community, we are taking time to reflect on the hope that Christ brings and to consider how we can share that hope with others in our words and actions.
Throughout the year, we are:
- Celebrating God’s goodness in our worship and liturgy.
- Learning about how to live as pilgrims of hope today.
- Taking action through our charitable work and projects that support our community.
- This Jubilee reminds us that, even in challenging times, we are called to live with hearts full of hope and to share that hope with the world around us.
As a school community, we are journeying together through the Jubilee Year as Pilgrims of Hope, walking in faith and recognising signs of God’s presence in our world.
We began our pilgrimage with a whole-school Celebration of the Word, marking the opening of this special year and reflecting on what it means to live as people of hope. During Lent, each class took part in our ‘Hope in Action’ projects, putting faith into practice through fundraising, prayer, and acts of kindness that brought hope to others. During this sacred season, our Year 6 pupils also undertook a special Lenten pilgrimage around Staines, reflecting on the events of the final week of Jesus’ life. As they visited local places that echoed moments from Holy Week, they paused to hear scripture and offer prayers, recognising Christ’s presence in the familiar surroundings of their own community.
As part of the many events that continued to shape our Jubilee journey, all pupils participated in a ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ retreat afternoon, offering time and space for reflection, prayer, and quiet connection with God. Some pupils then attended the Mission Together Mass at St Theodore’s in Hampton, joining with other schools to celebrate our shared mission. We also took part in a Walk for Migrants, held in solidarity with those forced to leave their homes, in line with the 2025 World Day of Migrants & Refugees and its theme, “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope”.
Our Jubilee journey continued with the Years 4–6 Rosary Pilgrimage to St Dominic’s Priory and Shrine, where pupils honoured Our Lady and deepened their prayer life together. We also marked the World Day of the Poor 2025, when pupils wrote prayers inspired by Pope Leo’s theme, “You are my hope”. In this Jubilee Year of Hope, these prayers became a powerful reminder that we are called to recognise God’s presence in those who are suffering and to bring hope through our words, actions, and witness.
Through these and many other moments of prayer, reflection, and community action, we continue to remember that every step we take brings us closer to God and to one another. Together, we journey forward as Pilgrims of Hope.
Our KS1 & KS2 Pilgrims of Hope retreat
Mission Together Mass at St Theodore’s in Hampton
Our walk in solidarity with migrants and refugees: Migrants, Missionaries of Hope
Our pilgrimage to St. Dominic's Priory and Shrine
Prayers for World Day of the Poor - You are my hope
KS2 Oracy Project: “Voices of Hope - Our World, Our Future”
As we approach the end of the Jubilee Year of Hope, all pupils across Key Stage 2 are beginning our ambitious oracy project, “Voices of Hope.” This project ensures that the spirit of the Jubilee does not end with the year itself, but continues to shape the way our children speak, listen and contribute to the world around them.
Across the key stage, pupils engage in a three-part journey of hope, explored differently in each year group:
Hope begins with the individual - pupils reflect on how their own words and actions can bring light to others, recognising that hope first takes root within each person.
Hope deepens in community - pupils learn to listen with respect and gather the hopes of both our school community and our wider local community in Staines, recognising the dignity and voice of the people around them.
Hope reaches outward to the world - pupils use their developing oracy skills to speak about the kind of world they wish to help shape, exploring how young people can contribute to justice, compassion and the common good.
Although each year group undertakes this journey through a project tailored to their age and stage, the shared purpose remains the same: to help every child understand that using their voice with honesty, courage and kindness is an act of service. Through performance, dialogue, interviewing and public speaking, our pupils are learning what it means to be Pilgrims of Hope, ready to carry the message of hope far beyond the Jubilee year.