The Vatican presented the mascot for the Jubilee 2025, “Luce,” on October 28, 2024, the day before the feast of another young beacon of light: Chiara Luce Badano. The word “luce” means light in Italian and Chiara Luce was given that name by Chiara Lubich, the founder of Focolare, the spiritual movement to which the young Blessed belonged.
Luce the Jubilee mascot is also meant to bring light to young people.
The Vatican presented the mascot at a press conference, explaining some of the details of the drawing.
She’s wearing a yellow sailor’s raincoat, to symbolize journeying through life’s storms. The green sailboat logo on her vest (the official Jubilee logo) shows that the waves aren’t always easy to navigate. The jacket is yellow, the color of the Holy See, and evokes the “sanrocchino,” the short canvas cloak that protected pilgrims from the elements. Her hair and eyes are blue, a color of hope.
Her boots are dirty, showing that she’s been walking along the paths of life. She has a rosary around her neck, to emphasize the need for a pilgrim to grow in prayer, and she carries the traditional pilgrim’s walking stick.
The light shining in her big eyes is in the shape of the conch shell, the symbol of the pilgrim.
Luce is accompanied by a small dog, Santino (which is the word used for holy cards in Italian), and a dove named Aura (breeze in Italian). She also is followed by a guardian angel named Iubi (diminutive of Jubilee).
She has many friends, especially: Fe (meaning Faith in Spanish), Xin (meaning Truth in Japanese), and Sky.
“Luce” is a creation of the company Tokidoki, which specialized in products inspired by Japanese culture. The founder, Simone Legno, is Italian and grew up in a Catholic family in Rome.
His company, now based in the United States, works with large companies such as Microsoft, Toyota, and Renault.
And today we celebrate...