Cathedral of St. Joseph - National Pilgrimage Site

Our Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr. stated:

"Pope Francis designated this year, 2025, as a Jubilee Year for the Church, and it commenced on the Feast of the Holy Family. In calling for this, he cited some of the challenges and events that emerged for humanity since the last ordinary Jubilee Year in 2000, including the worldwide travails associated with the global pandemic and the reality of mass migration due to war, violence, and poverty.  He said, 'The forthcoming jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a clomate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire; that is why I have chosen as the moto of the jubilee, Pilgrims of Hope.'  The Holy Father emphasizes that 'all of us are pilgrims on this earth,' and the jubilee marks a moment when we can recover our sense of universal fraternity and see the plight of those who live in poverty or who are fleeing dire situations.  We can intentionally take steps to ensure that everyone has access to the fruits of the earth and its resources which are due to every person.  It is also a time to recover and be spiritually renewed for the Church's mission of proclaiming the Gospel and the pastoral outreach that goes with it.  As with prior Jubilee Years, this one will be marked with opportunities for pilgrimage, prayer, and the reception of special graces offered by God through the Church known as indulgences."

Bishop Johnston declared three jubilee pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph:  The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at Conception Abbey in Conception, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, and our Cathedral of St. Joseph.  Visit usccb.org/jubilee2025 for a full list of national pilgrimage sites and more information about the Jubilee Year and Plenary Indulgences.

While the celebration of Mass in St. Joseph can be traced back to 1838, the conrnerstone for the present-day Cathedral of St. Joseph was laid in 1869, a year after the establishment of the Diocese of St. Joseph.  The Cathedral stands on the summit of Cathedral Hill as a vital presence to the city and a witness to the love of Jesus Christ.  One can receive a Plenary Indulgence at the Cathedral of St. Joseph by meeting all of these conditions:

1.  Sacramentally confes all sins (20 days before or after indulgenced act, can apply to more than one indulgence);

2. Receive the Holy Eucharist;

3. Pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff (usually by an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be);

4. Have the interior disposition of total detachment from sin, even venial sin;

5. Do one of the following acts:  

• In the Cathedral of St. Joseph, participate in the Holy Mass, or a public devotional prayer like the Stations of the Cross, rosary, etc.
• Spend some time in adoration in front of the Tabernacle or the Monstrance, concluding with an Our Father, the Nicene or Apostles' Creed, and an invocation to the Blessed Mother (e.g., a Hail Mary).