Rome Pilgrimage

Dear Friends,

I hope you are all doing well in this Jubilee year 2025.  This has been a tumultuous year to say the least, with much change happening on the local, national and international arena. 

AI, artificial intelligence seems to be just one of many new realities we are all having to understand and navigate our way through.  In many ways our lives are changing, and we feel like a novice, trying to make sense of what seems to be a new, and different reality just about each day.

I have decided to put all of our anxiety and confusion in the hope and trust of our faith, in seeking meaning, and purpose in Gods’ grace by going on a Pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee year.

The significance of Pope Leo XIV’s election as the first American Pope adds a special pride and inspiration to our pilgrimage to Rome this year.  The Jubilee year is integral to our Catholic tradition of experiencing God’s grace, through forgiveness renewal and spiritual growth.  The Jubilee was established in the Old Testament, as a time when debt was forgiven, and land was restored, and social justice was emphasized.  Today, this year of the Jubilee is an occasion for us to open ourselves to God’s grace and reconciliation with our Creator and with one another.

The Jubilee year of 2025 holds a particular significance as it not only invites us to reflect on our spiritual lives but also celebrate the election of Pope Leo XIV. Pope Leo’s election inspires us with tremendous humility and pride as American Catholics.   

By stepping away from the distractions of daily life and immersing oneself in the sacredness of the pilgrimage experience we can encounter God in profound ways.  The pilgrimage is so much more special when we are able to share our prayers, reflections and worship with fellow parishioners and friends.

Visiting the Basilica of St. Peter will be a profound encounter with our faith and the history of the Church.  St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world and stands as a testament to the antiquity of our faith.

My dear friends, this is a unique opportunity that God has given us as a parish to go on a pilgrimage this year to Rome.  Please join me and 20 other pilgrims on the 20th of October through October 29, 2025. 

The disciples asked Jesus, where do you live? And he said, “Come and See”, My friends let us go and see and encounter the wonder of God’s blessings in our lives as we greet the new Vicar of Christ, the Successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV, a fellow American, first in the 2000 year history of our Church.

There are only 20 seats available, I hope you will be one of them. Please call Socorro Wallace at the office (831-475-8211) to reserve a place for the pilgrimage as soon as possible.

God’s Richest Blessings,

Father Wayne Dawson

Pastor