A framework agreement for the “Marian Jubilee Year and Rebirth” scheduled for 2026 in the Sanctuary of Monte Berico in Vicenza. The agreement – which involves the Diocese of Vicenza, the Servite friars, the Veneto Region, the Province and City of Vicenza and the city of Vicenza – was signed today by the prior of Monte Berico, Father Carlo Rossato; the bishop of Vicenza Giuliano Brugnotto; the president of the Veneto Region Luca Zaia; the president of the Province of Vicenza Andrea Nardin: the mayor of the Municipality of Vicenza Giacomo Possama, in the refectory room of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Monte Berico.
The official start of the jubilee year will take place on 7 March 2026, the day that commemorates the first apparition of the Virgin Mary which took place in Monte Berico in 1426. In a time of plague that afflicted the area, the Madonna appeared to a humble commoner, Vincenza Pasini, offering an unexpected prospect of hope to the Berica community and indicating the place where the Sanctuary will be built two years later.
“We wish to entrust our community journey to the heavenly Mother who appeared twice on the hill and who has presided over this place so loved by the people for six hundred years, offering support, comfort, peace and hope – said Fr. Reddish -. To reach out to people, to make the history and present of Marian devotion known to many, among the Jubilee initiatives of particular symbolic value, we have launched the two ‘Peregrinatio Mariae’, one diocesan already underway, and the other which will reach in the next two years the Vicenza people in the world”. The logo of the Marian Jubilee Year 1426-2026 was designed by the children of the “L. Zecchetto”. “Welcoming the requests of the population, Bishop Onisto elected the Madonna of Monte Berico as the main patron saint of the city and diocese of Vicenza in 1978. The bond between the population and the Madonna of Monte Berico is very strong because she is resorted to on rather difficult occasions – declared Mgr. Brugnotto -. For the diocese, 2026 will be a jubilee year in continuity with the Jubilee announced by Pope Francis with which we are invited to set out on our journey, pilgrims of hope”.
The aim of the framework agreement, as stated in a joint statement, is to organize “celebratory initiatives, including those of a cultural and social nature, which establish the strong bond that has linked the Marian Sanctuary to the entire Vicenza and regional territory for centuries” with the aim of “develop religious-cultural tourism” by creating “a synergy between the Sanctuary and the city”. The agreement provides for the establishment of a control room, in which all the signatory bodies are represented.
