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 Holy Year 1950 Issue - Scott 132-139 5L and 20 L: Jesus Giving St. Peter the Keys to Heaven 6L and 25 L: Basilicas of Saint Peter, Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Saint John Lateran and Saint Mary Major 8 L and 30 L: Pope Boniface VIII Proclaiming Holy Year 1300 10 L and 60 L: Pope Pius XII Opening the Holy Door On December 21, 1949, Vatican City released an eight-stamp set proclaiming Holy Year 1950, which would commence three days hence, on Christmas Eve, 1949. The tradition of Church Holy Years, or Jubilee Years, was initiated by Pope Boniface VIII in the year 1300. Initially, the interval between Holy Years was to be 100 years, but that was quickly reduced to 50 years by Pope Clement VI in 1342, and further reduced to 25 years by Pope Paul II in 1470. To date, there have been thirty (30) Holy or Jubilee Years, with the next Holy Year falling in 2025. What is the purpose of convoking a Holy Year or special Jubilee Year? As mentioned in the Old Testament writings in Leviticus, a jubilee year is cited to occur every 50 years, during which slaves and prisoners would be set free, debts would be forgiven and the mercies of God would be particularly manifest. In the Catholic tradition, the Jubilee Year is one for the remission of sins and universal pardon. The Jubilee Year opens on Christmas Eve of the year preceding the Holy Year (for Holy Year 1950, the Year began on December 24, 1949) with the opening of the Holy Doors at the four major Roman basilicas: Saint Peter’s, Saint John Lateran, Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls, and Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major). The Jubilee Year ends on the following Christmas Eve with the closing of the Holy Doors. In addition to the Holy Years that have been celebrated on their regular schedule, there have been some Special Jubilees declared by the Pope. Since 1900, four special Jubilee Years have been declared: 1933—celebrating the 1900th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ 1966—commemorating the end of the 21st Ecumenical Council, commonly known as Vatican II 1983—Holy Year of Redemption to coincide with the 1950th anniversary of Christ’s death 2016—Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy Holy Years have been covered extensively in past issues of Vatican Notes. Readers are encouraged to review these articles on the VPS website. Five articles cited in the reference section below are of special interest and add further depth to the Holy Years and the philatelic history associated with them: 1. Specific to Holy Year 1950, an article in 2006 presents a spectacular commemorative folder, cancelled on the opening day of the Holy Year (December 24, 1949). 2. In his wonderful compilation, “Vatican City: A Philatelic Historical Journey”, James C. Hamilton discusses “Feasts, Holy Years and Eucharistic Congresses” (chapter 10). 3. Vatican City issued three sets of stamps from 1998 through 2000 depicting the Popes of the Holy Years (Scott 1065-1072 in 1998, Scott 1095-1102 in 1999 and Scott 1141-1150 in 2000). Three Vatican Notes articles by Thomas Crimando discussing the releases of these sets are referenced below. References: • Wikipedia.com, Jubilee in the Catholic Church • Brittanica.com, Year of Jubilee • Anonymous, Vatican Notes, Volume 54, Number 3, page 24, 2006, Holy Year 1950--Commemorative Folder • James C. Hamilton, Vatican Notes, “Vatican City: A Philatelic Historical Journey”, Section 10, pages 10-43, 2020, Feasts, Holy Years, Eucharistic Congresses • Thomas Crimando, Vatican Notes, Volume 47, Number 1, pages 5-6, 1998, The Popes and the Holy Years • Thomas Crimando, Vatican Notes, Volume 47, Number 6, pages 10-11, 1999, The Popes and the Holy Years Part II • Thomas Crimando, Vatican Notes, Volume 48, Number 6, pages 1 and 4, 2000, The Popes and the Holy Years 1750-2000 • Vatican Philatelic Society website (www.vaticanstamps.org), Stamp Database Search |
