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As the Jubilee Year progresses, Mary’s Meals, a Catholic charity, has urged the faithful to participate by sharing resources with those in need. Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of Mary’s Meals, highlighted that hope is central to their mission. This theme was introduced by Pope Francis during the Jubilee Year opening at St. Peter’s Basilica on December 24.
Mary’s Meals was established in 2002 by MacFarlane-Barrow after he left his salmon farming career in Scotland. The charity began with distributing meals to 200 children in Malawi and now serves over 2.4 million children daily across 17 countries.
Pope Francis emphasized the importance of being "tangible signs of hope" for those facing hardships during this Holy Year. In line with this message, Mary’s Meals released a statement before Christmas affirming its commitment to providing hope worldwide, especially in areas affected by conflict and climate change.
The Jubilee theme “Pilgrims of Hope” encourages supporters to spread hope through charitable acts. MacFarlane-Barrow plans his own pilgrimage and stresses that performing these acts with "greater love" helps share hope globally.
Pope Francis’ "Bull of Indiction" addresses global poverty issues, criticizing the world for prioritizing weapon production over addressing poverty: “It is scandalous that in a world possessed of immense resources...the poor continue to be ‘the majority of the planet’s population.'”
MacFarlane-Barrow expressed gratitude for the growth of Mary’s Meals but acknowledged ongoing challenges: “There are ‘67,000,000 children’ who are not in school because they are hungry.” He echoed Pope Francis' call for developed nations to address global hunger.
He believes achieving universal access to daily school meals is possible: “That vision that every child in the world should eat every day a meal in school...it’s a scandal that’s not already happening.”
During the Jubilee Year, pilgrims can earn indulgences by visiting any Holy Door or performing acts of charity like feeding the hungry. The Holy Year will end on January 6, 2026.
