Honoring the ‘saints next door’: Pope Francis calls for annual celebration of local holy men and women

Pope Francis speaks at a Mass and canonization of 14 new saints in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Nov 16, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis wants dioceses worldwide to shine a spotlight on their “saints next door” every year on Nov. 9.

In a letter released by the Vatican in Italian on Saturday, the pope established an annual commemoration of saints, blessed, venerables, and servants of God in local dioceses worldwide, set to begin with the upcoming Jubilee.

“I exhort particular Churches, starting from the upcoming 2025 Jubilee, to remember and honor these figures of holiness each year,” Pope Francis wrote.

The initiative aims to help Catholics around the world rediscover and maintain the memory of those extraordinary disciples of Christ who have witnessed the presence of the risen Lord and continue to guide the faithful in those dioceses today.

He signed the letter at St. John Lateran on Nov. 9, 2024, the feast day of the basilica’s dedication.

While the pontiff chose this feast day for the yearly remembrance, he emphasized that he was not adding another liturgical celebration to the Church calendar.

Instead, he explained, the pope called on local dioceses to promote appropriate initiatives outside the liturgy or recall these figures within it, such as during homilies.

Called to be holy

Pope Francis connected the initiative to his 2018 apostolic exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, on the universal call to holiness.

The 2018 letter emphasized how sanctity manifests in everyday life through various examples, including married couples living their faith while being open to life, young people following Jesus with enthusiasm, and religious living the evangelical counsels.

“We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case,” the pope wrote in his exhortation: “We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.”

According to the letter released Saturday, episcopal conferences may develop pastoral guidelines for implementing this commemoration.

The Vatican expects millions of pilgrims to travel to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year but also renewed spiritual initiatives in dioceses across the globe.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​