World Day of the Poor 2025
- Sunday November 16
You are my hope. Ps. 71: 5
To mark the Ninth World Day of the Poor, which will be celebrated throughout the Church on 16 November 2025, the Holy Father has chosen a particularly meaningful theme for this Jubilee Year: “You are my hope, Lord” (Ps 71:5). The words of the Psalmist allow us to hear a cry of hope rising from the humble and grateful heart of a poor person, as Pope Leo XIV beautifully expressed in his Message for this Day: “The poor can be witnesses to a strong and steadfast hope, precisely because they embody it in the midst of uncertainty, poverty, instability and marginalization. They cannot rely on the security of power and possessions; on the contrary, they are at their mercy and often victims of them. Their hope must necessarily be sought elsewhere. By recognizing that God is our first and only hope, we too pass from fleeting hopes to a lasting hope.” (No. 2).
The Holy Father invites us, therefore, to distinguish between hopes and hope. To build our lives upon the many hopes we pursue each day is risky: they can easily prove illusory and lead us, little by little, to disappointment. We must instead lift our gaze toward a broader horizon of meaning—one not limited to the “here” and “now.” There may be many kinds of hopes, yet—as the Apostle affirms—those who do not know God ultimately remain without hope. The Jubilee is the ever-living proclamation of Jesus Christ, our hope, who transcends time and space to bring to every person the strength of His presence. He is the true hope that sustains life, enabling us to go beyond every human disappointment (cf. Eph 2:12).
This is why the Psalmist so passionately declares: “You are my hope, Lord” (Ps 71:5). May our attention and care for those most in need help us all to become Pilgrims of Hope in a world that longs to be illumined by the presence of the Light of the Risen One and by the flame of charity He has kindled in our hearts.
~ H.E. Archbishop Rino Fisichella
Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization
Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World
As we approach the 9th World Day of the Poor, we invite you to read Pope Leo XIV’s message by clicking the button below. You may also be interested in the article on St. Benedict Joseph Labre.
This coming Sunday, please pray the prayer for the World Day of the Poor, found below,
and consider how you can personally reach out to the poor in our community.
There are many charitable organizations in our area who work with the poor:
House of Friendship, The Working Centre, Tiny Home Takeout, The Food Bank,
Ray of Hope, A Better Tent City, and so many more.
Perhaps God is calling you to connect with one of these groups in a new way.
