Lunar New Year coinciding with Jubilee Year seen as time for 'change, renewal'

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- Coinciding with the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year, the Lunar New Year "can be a time of change and renewal" of faith, two U.S. bishops' committee chairmen said in a special message to Catholics from Asian cultures who celebrate the Chinese New Year.

"We wish you and your families many blessings for a joyous and peace-filled Lunar New Year," said Bishop Robert J. Brennan of Brooklyn, New York, and Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, in a Jan. 28 message issued with their blessings on behalf of all the bishops. They are the chairmen, respectively, of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church and its Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Islanders.

The Lunar New Year usually starts sometime between late January and mid-February. This year, the festivities begin Jan. 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake, symbolizing good luck, rebirth and regeneration. Celebrations can last for 15 days in countries where the Lunar New Year is typically celebrated -- China, South Korea, Vietnam and countries with a significant number of people from China.

"This year, the Year of the Snake, can be a time of change and renewal, coinciding with the Jubilee Year, in which we are called to be Pilgrims of Hope, people who are constantly being renewed along our faith journey through the power of the Spirit at work within us," said Bishops Brennan and Fernandes.

"May the blessings of Almighty God come upon you, so that your Radiant Faith, which enriches the Church, may bring hope and renewal to our world, our country, the Church, and our families," they added.