The Diocese of Madison has named six sites for pilgrimage during the Jubilee Year of Hope.
The sites are: Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Monona, St. Cecilia Church in Wisconsin Dells, St. Bernard Church in Watertown, Nativity of Mary Church in Janesville, St. Mary Church in Fennimore, and the Schoenstatt Shrine in Madison.
The sites were chosen based on regional geography and special devotions or links to the Diocese of Madison.
About the sites
- Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, in the central part of the diocese, is located at 5101 Schofield St. in Monona. Since the diocesan cathedral is under construction, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church hosted the Jubilee Opening Mass and houses our Jubilee cross. The cross, from the Cathedral of St. Bernard of Clairvaux in Madison, can be venerated by the faithful and will return to the cathedral when it opens at the end of 2025. Immaculate Heart of Mary is also the home of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Green Scapular.
- St. Cecilia Church, in the northern part of the diocese, is located at 603 Oak St. in Wisconsin Dells. St. Cecilia is the patron of Rome, the location of the Holy See.
- St. Bernard Church, in the eastern part of the diocese, is located at 114 S. Church St. in Watertown. St. Bernard Church has a name connection to the new St. Bernard of Clairvaux Cathedral in Madison.
- Nativity of Mary Church in the southern part of the diocese, is located at 313 E. Wall St. in Janesville. It was chosen because Pope Francis has asked for a greater devotion to the Blessed Mother and sites honoring her during the Jubilee Year.
- St. Mary Church, in the western part of the diocese, is located at 930 Jefferson St. in Fennimore. That site also honors the Blessed Mother.
- The Schoenstatt Shrine, in the central part of the diocese, is located at 5901 Cottage Grove Rd. in Madison. The Shrine is a third site that honors the Blessed Virgin Mary — Mother, Thrice Admirable. All dedicated shrines in a diocese were asked to be designated as pilgrimage sites.
A pilgrim can gain an indulgence by going to one of these sites and performing a prescribed work.
Local options
While there are opportunities for gaining the Jubilee indulgence at sites all over the world, the Diocese of Madison offers local options for performing one of the prescribed works:
1) Pilgrimage: Make a pilgrimage to any of the six diocesan Jubilee sites and, while there, take part in one of the following: Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours (Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, or Evening Prayer), the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, or a communal penance service with individual Confession.
2) Pious visit: Make a pious visit to any of the six diocesan Jubilee sites and, while there, engage in Eucharistic Adoration or prayerful meditation for a suitable length of time, finishing with an “Our Father,” the Creed, and any prayer to Mary.
3) Spiritual pilgrimage: If you are unable to travel to a Jubilee site for serious reasons (illness, age, imprisonment, being cloistered, being a caregiver, etc.), you can obtain the indulgence by making a “spiritual pilgrimage,” uniting your prayers and intentions to those taking part in pilgrimages and reciting an “Our Father” and a Creed.
In addition to performing the prescribed work, the following conditions must be met in order to obtain a plenary indulgence: 1) Detachment from all sin, including venial sin (if detachment is imperfect, a partial indulgence is granted); 2) Receiving Holy Communion (ideally the day that you do the indulgenced work, but 20 days before or after is sufficient); 3) Going to Confession (again, ideally the day you do the work, but within 20 days is sufficient); and 4) Praying for the intentions of the Pope (typically with an “Our Father” and “Hail Mary”).
For more information on the Jubilee Year of Hope in the Diocese of Madison, go to madisondiocese.org/jubilee.