Pilgrims of Hope in the Jubilee Year 2025

By Rocio Granados - La Voz Catolica

Photography: ROCIO GRANADOS | LVC

MIAMI | Following the prayer of the rosary on her phone, Rosa Aguilar walked more than four miles on a pilgrimage from St. Michael the Archangel Church through the streets of Little Havana to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity (La Ermita) on Biscayne Bay, one of the special places of prayer for pilgrims in the Archdiocese of Miami during the Jubilee Year 2025.

“I promised my Lord that I would make this pilgrimage,” Aguilar said. “And I offer it for the health of Pope Francis and for one of my nephews who has cancer.”

And as a survivor of the disease herself, “I will first thank my Lord first and then the Virgin in the Shrine of Our Lady,” added Aguilar during a break in the walk, March 9.

Aguilar, a choir member at St. Michael’s, said that she also decided to make the pilgrimage with her parish because she will not be able to travel to Rome during this Jubilee Year, at the Pope’s invitation, in order to walk through the Holy Doors. But she is doing it here with fellow members of her former parish, St. John Bosco.

This pilgrimage was organized, “first of all, because of the Pope’s call to celebrate the Jubilee Year and to be ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ (the theme of the Jubilee Year). Also, to travel as a St. Michael Parish family of to the home of Our Mother in the National Shrine, to pray for our intentions, for the Pope’s intentions, to earn indulgences, and, above all, to have a good start to Lent,” said Father Elvis González, pastor of St. Michael.

His convocation brought together more than 300 pilgrims, who did not mind getting up very early on a Saturday morning to arrive at the church by 6:30 a.m., the time of the gathering. Another group from the parish waited at the Shrine for those who had walked so they could enter together.

The pilgrimage took place at the beginning of Lent to create a “community gathering beyond Sunday Mass and a public manifestation of the faith that we can freely practice,” commented Father Pablo Presilla, parochial vicar of St. Michael.

Unlike a simple walk, “a pilgrimage is the people who journey to the sacred place moved by faith,” explained Father Presilla. It is not something that is improvised, the priest pointed out. For this reason, “we have prepared a brochure with a brief catechesis on the Jubilee.”

During this Jubilee Year and during Lent, St. Michael Parish is emphasizing “catechesis, the Lenten reflections every Thursday, and the Holy Father’s message of walking together in hope to overcome social individualism,” stated the parochial vicar.

María León, a parishioner of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish who joined this pilgrimage because she was unable to participate with her parish the previous week, said prayer is essential during Lent.

“The offerings I have made to the Lord for this Lent include growing closer to Him and making sacrifices,” León said.

To this end, “I feel that the Lord is calling us to prayer and reconciliation, because in today’s world we need many people to pray for all those around us in our jobs, our friends, and our families,” she added.

Going on a pilgrimage “is our obligation as Christians, to walk towards an encounter with the Lord,” remarked Héctor Rueda, a parishioner of St. Michael Church, who walked alongside his wife, Ligia Madrid Rueda.

“We are happy to make this pilgrimage because it is something that fills our spirit and strengthens our soul,” added Héctor Rueda as he walked along the pavement under the blazing sun.

After approximately a two hour walk, the group arrived at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, where they were welcomed by its rector, Father José Espino. Each pilgrim received a certificate as a Pilgrim of Hope 2025.

JUBILEE 2025, “PILGRIMS OF HOPE”

This year, 2025, is a Jubilee Year centered on the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” The Church designates a new Jubilee Year every 25 years as a special time of grace and forgiveness, offering the faithful the opportunity to obtain the plenary indulgence. The Jubilee Year offers opportunities to participate in various events at the Vatican and in local dioceses.

For those who cannot travel to Rome or the Holy Land, bishops around the world have designated cathedrals and shrines as special places of prayer for pilgrims in the Holy Year, offering opportunities for reconciliation, indulgences, and other events intended to strengthen and renew their faith.

The special places of prayer for pilgrims during the Jubilee Year in the Archdiocese of Miami are:

• St. Mary Cathedral, 7525 N.W. Second Ave., Miami.
• National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity (La Ermita), 3609 S. Miami Ave., Coconut Grove (Miami).
• Shrine of Our Lady of Schoenstatt, 22800 S.W. 187th Ave., Homestead.
• Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea, 1010 Windsor Lane, Key West.
• St. Clement Church, 2975 N. Andrews Ave., Wilton Manors.
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 11691 N.W. 25th Street, Doral.

To receive the plenary indulgence, which is the total remission of temporal punishment for sins already forgiven the following general requirements must be met:

• Pray for the Pope’s intentions.
• Go to confession and receive the Eucharist.
• Make a pilgrimage to Rome, the Holy Land, or a Jubilee site in your diocese.
• Practice works of mercy, penance, prayer and meditation before the Blessed Sacrament, concluding with the Lord’s Prayer and a Marian prayer.