Dec 31, 2025 / 07:00 am
2025 was the Jubilee Year of Hope — and the news often seemed determined to put that promise to the test. But from conversions to hidden acts of heroism, miracles amid the ashes, and powerful gestures from Pope Leo XIV, these eight stories show why this extraordinary year can truly be remembered as a time when hope shone bright.
1. Tabernacle survives Los Angeles wildfires
In Pacific Palisades, California, Corpus Christi Catholic Church burned to the ground during the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, but firefighters found the tabernacle completely intact amid the ashes, with the Blessed Sacrament preserved. The image of the untouched tabernacle quickly went viral, becoming a powerful sign of Christ’s presence and hope for a parish community that had lost almost everything.
2. ‘I only kneel before God’: A martyr in Myanmar
In Myanmar, Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win was killed on Feb. 14 after reportedly refusing to kneel before armed men, declaring: “I only kneel before God.” His last words and martyrdom spread across Catholic media as a stark witness that fidelity to Christ is worth more than life itself, even amid violent persecution.
3. Three priest brothers care for their mother with Alzheimer’s
A moving story from Brazil showed three priests — Father Sildo César da Costa, Father Sérgio Luís da Costa, and Father Silvano João da Costa — who are brothers, taking turns caring for their elderly mother suffering from Alzheimer’s. Their hidden, daily sacrifice offered a living catechesis on the Fourth Commandment and reminded many that priesthood and family love are not opposed but can be beautifully united in humble service.
4. Large family devoted to Sacred Heart walks away from serious crash
A large Catholic family, consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, survived a serious car accident without losing a single member. They publicly thanked the Lord and the Virgin Mary for their protection, renewing interest in enthroning the Sacred Heart in homes and in trusting God in moments of danger.
“It all happened in a matter of seconds,” José María Mayoral, the father of the family, who lost control of the car and crashed into the median, then into the right guardrail, and finally rolled over before coming to a stop, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.
According to Mayoral, several truck drivers and families who witnessed the accident stopped to help. “They all agreed on one thing: It was a miracle that no one was hurt,” he added.
For the family, the explanation was clear: Their devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was not just a tradition “but a living and profound trust.”
He shared that after this experience his mission became even more clear: “Continue spreading this devotion, continue to trust him, and continue to testify that, even in the midst of danger, his love is the safest refuge.”
5. Marriage restored through St. John Paul II’s theology of the body
The testimony of Carmen García and Carlos Mejía recounted how their deeply wounded marriage was healed through the catecheses of St. John Paul II and the Proyecto Amor Conyugal apostolate — a program being taught to married couples throughout dioceses in Spain that teaches the true meaning of marriage based on St. John Paul II’s “theology of the body.”
Their story shows that when couples embrace God’s plan for marriage, even relationships marked by atheism, infidelity, or deep wounds can be renewed and transformed.
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6. Pope Leo XIV’s strong words for marriage and the family
During the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly, Pope Leo XIV said during his homily on June 1 that marriage is “not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman” and called families “the cradle of the future of humanity.” His clear and hopeful teaching inspired parishes and movements to deepen catechesis, accompaniment, and defense of the family in a confused cultural climate.
7. Historic ecumenical moments in England and Rome
For the first time in 500 years, a pope and the king of England prayed together in the Sistine Chapel, as Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III led an Ecumenical Prayer for the Care of Creation on Oct. 23. This was historic as it marked the first time since the Protestant Reformation that a reigning British monarch and a pope have prayed together during a royal state visit to the Vatican.
In another historic gesture, more than 50 Catholic priests processed into Canterbury Cathedral to celebrate Mass in honor of the feast of the Translation of St. Thomas Becket on July 7, reconnecting England with its ancient Catholic roots and offering a powerful sign of reconciliation and remembrance. This historic event drew over 800 Catholics — the largest congregation to be in the cathedral since the Reformation — blending faith, history, and culture in a powerful tribute to England’s Catholic roots.
8. Saints and miracles
The beatification cause of Sister Clare Crockett — an inspirational young Irish religious sister who died in 2016 — officially opened on Jan. 12 in Madrid, Spain, formally recognizing her as a servant of God and drawing many young people to her joyful, radical witness.
Another story of hope was that of Antonia Raco, a 67-year-old Italian woman long affected by an incurable neurodegenerative illness who was announced as the 72nd official miracle taking place in Lourdes on April 16.
After bathing in the waters at Lourdes in 2009, Raco “began to move independently,” after which “the effects of the infamous illness immediately and definitively disappeared,” the Italian Diocese of Tursi-Lagonegro in Italy said in a statement.
“I had wanted to go to Lourdes since I was a child,” Raco recalled in a press conference on July 25. That wish came true in 2009, when she and her husband, Antonio, traveled to the shrine with the Italian pilgrimage association Unitalsi.
The experience, however, was not exactly as she had once imagined: She arrived in a wheelchair, already struggling to breathe and swallow.
On the second day, sanctuary volunteers brought her to the baths. “We prayed together. That’s when I heard a beautiful young female voice say three times: ‘Don’t be afraid!’”
