September 2025

As we close this grace-filled month of August 2025 — still carrying the fire of the Transfiguration and the triumph of the Assumption — the Church now turns her gaze to September, the month when the Cross of our Savior is lifted high as our only boast. This September will be a profound month of looking unflinchingly at the crucified Christ, allowing His wounds to console our own, His justice to set the world aright, and His truth to be handed on without compromise through the catechetical mission of the Church. In the heart of the Jubilee Year of Hope, with Pope Leo XIV continuing to lead us with the courage of a lion and the tenderness of a father, September will feel like Good Friday and Easter Sunday mysteriously intertwined: the Cross exalted, the sorrow of the Mother piercing our hearts, and yet the irrevocable victory of the Resurrection breaking through in the Jubilee graces pouring out upon the poor, the suffering, and the truth-bearers.

The liturgical calendar of September 2025 is ordered with divine precision toward the Cross. We begin on Monday, September 1, still echoing the martyrs of August, and by Monday, September 8 we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary — the dawn from which the Sun of Justice would rise. Then comes the climax: Sunday, September 14, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, when every Catholic on earth will kneel before the instrument of torture that became the instrument of salvation. The very next day, Monday, September 15, we honor Our Lady of Sorrows, standing with her beneath the Cross as she offers her pierced heart in union with her Son’s Sacred Heart. The month closes with the triumph of the heavenly hosts on Monday, September 29 — the feast of the Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael — warriors who defend the Church against the ancient serpent still raging because he knows his time is short.

And the Jubilee events in Rome will be among the most powerful of the entire Holy Year:

September 15 will see the Jubilee of Consolation — a solemn prayer vigil presided over by Pope Leo XIV himself in St. Peter’s Square, where the bereaved, the depressed, the terminally ill, survivors of abuse, and all who carry invisible wounds will gather to hear Christ speak the Beatitude “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Expect tears to flow like rivers as the Holy Father washes feet and embraces the suffering, showing the world that the Church is a field hospital where Christ Himself binds wounds.

Then, on Saturday, September 20, the Jubilee of Justice will bring judges, lawyers, prison chaplains, anti-trafficking workers, and peacemakers from every continent to pass through the Holy Door while the Church prays for the conversion of oppressors and the liberation of the oppressed. Finally, September 26–28 will crown the month with the Jubilee of Catechists — over 50,000 men and women who teach the faith in parishes, schools, refugee camps, and prisons will be honored as the true guardians of the deposit of faith. Pope Leo XIV will celebrate the closing Mass and commission them anew to proclaim Christ crucified and risen, without dilution or compromise.

Our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has designated September as a month of intense reparation and hope. His prayer intention, released in the Pope Video (filmed this year in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Seoul), is for the cry of the poor and the suffering — that the Church may be their voice and Christ their consolation. The Holy Father has asked every diocese to organize a 24-hour period of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament exposed beneath a crucifix on September 14–15, uniting the Exaltation of the Cross with the Jubilee of Consolation.

Around the world, the Church is already responding with apostolic fire.

In Africa, the bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo are organizing a national pilgrimage of justice on September 20, with hundreds of thousands expected to process carrying crosses made from coltan-mined metal as a prophetic cry against the exploitation that fuels war. Nigerian dioceses are preparing “Consolation Nights” on September 15 — entire nights of adoration, confession, and healing prayer for families who have lost loved ones to persecution.

In Asia, the Church in India is planning massive Exaltation of the Cross processions on September 14, with bishops leading barefoot walks through cities while praying for an end to religious violence. South Korean Catholics are preparing to welcome North Korean defectors for the Jubilee of Consolation, offering them the healing embrace of Christ in a land that knows deep historical wounds.

In Latin America, the bishops of Mexico have called for a national day of reparation on September 15 for violence against migrants, with Masses offered at every border crossing. Brazilian dioceses are organizing “Justice for the Amazon” events tied to the Jubilee weekend, with indigenous catechists leading the way.

In Europe, the Polish Church will renew the Act of Entrustment to Christ through the Sorrowful Mother on September 15 at Jasna Góra, while German bishops are hosting ecumenical services of consolation for victims of abuse scandals, with extraordinary confessors available throughout the month.

In the United States, many dioceses are designating September as a month of reparation for sins against life and dignity. The USCCB has encouraged every parish to hold a Holy Hour of Reparation before the Blessed Sacrament on September 14, with particular prayer for the conversion of those who promote abortion, euthanasia, and the exploitation of the poor. Several bishops are leading “Walking with the Cross” processions through city streets on the Exaltation feast, carrying life-size crucifixes while praying for justice.

Our bishops are shepherding with particular courage this month, many still implementing the final Synod on Synodality documents with a renewed emphasis on Christ-centered mission. Expect strong statements on life issues, religious freedom, and the Church’s preferential option for the poor.

Our priests — those men who stand daily at the altar and make Christ present — will bear the weight of September’s graces. Confessions will multiply as souls confront the reality of the Cross. Seminaries are entering their most intense period of formation, with many incorporating daily meditation on the Sorrowful Mysteries and the writings of St. John Paul II on redemptive suffering. Reports continue to pour in of record vocation inquiries — young men who encountered Christ during the Jubilee of Youth in August and now want to give their lives so that others may encounter Him too.

And our consecrated men and women — monks chanting the Divine Office through the night, nuns offering their hidden lives in reparation, friars serving the poorest of the poor — are the powerhouse behind every grace of this month. The Jubilee of Catechists will honor many of them who teach the faith in contemplative silence as much as in active apostolate.

My dear brothers and sisters, September 2025 is the month to fall in love with the Cross again. To let Christ crucified console you, justify you, and send you out to catechize the world with the truth that alone sets free. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation as if it were your last. Adore the Blessed Sacrament beneath the crucifix. Teach one person the faith more deeply than you ever have before.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Cross is still the only hope of the world. The Jubilee is His mercy right now.