A Year of Celebration at CatholicTech

As our students and faculty arrive back to campus safely this week, we begin our winter term at CatholicTech! This week the Church has also celebrated the Solemnity of the Epiphany! This feast occurs during the Christmas season, beginning on January 5th and continuing to the following Sunday, January 12th. 

The word “Epiphany” comes from the Greek root meaning “manifestation” or “to show or display.” The Epiphany marks the arrival of the Magi, or wise men, who traveled to worship the Christ Child after observing the rising Star of Bethlehem. These wise men gifted Jesus with gold, frankincense, and myrrh, showing that He is the King of Kings, God, and Savior. The gold symbolizes His royalty; frankincense is associated with the worship of God; and myrrh, used as a burial ointment, foreshadows Jesus’ Passion and death.

Many different cultures celebrate the Epiphany in unique ways. In the United States, many families bless their homes, marking them with chalk for the coming year. In France, the French King Cake, or Galette des Rois, is eaten, in which there is a hidden figurine of Baby Jesus baked inside. Here in Italy, it is a national holiday, and many people in European countries exchange gifts with one another on the Epiphany rather than on Christmas. While in some countries, the Epiphany is a holy day of obligation celebrated on January 6th, in the United States, the celebration has been transferred to the first Sunday after January 1st.

The beginning of this year also marks another celebration for the Church: the Jubilee Year 2025. Pope Francis has said this year will be an “event of great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance in the life of the Church.” A Jubilee Year, or holy year, is celebrated every 25 years, marking a special time in the life of the Church. Jubilee 2025 began on Christmas Eve with the opening of the Holy Doors in St. Peter’s Basilica and in the other major Basilicas in Rome, representing the passage to salvation through Jesus Christ. 
The theme for this Jubilee Year is “Pilgrims of Hope.” In the papal bull issued last spring ahead of the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis wrote, “In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring” (Spes Non Confundit, 1). Pope Francis hopes this year will draw Catholics toward the virtues of patience and hope.

As part of this Jubilee Year, the Catholic Institute of Technology will participate in a Catholic Tech Week at the Vatican and on our campus in Castel Gandolfo. This gathering will bring together the Church’s brightest minds in tech, academia, and venture capital. The conference will be held from July 30 to August 2, leading up to the canonization of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. Follow us to stay updated on speakers, tickets, and more!