Fast forward to present day, living in Florida for this Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee Year, I was eager to plan out my pilgrimage. In August 2024, I contacted Sister Lucia at St. Jerome Catholic Church in Largo to hear what the church had planned for the jubilee. Sr. Lucia was not familiar with this style of pilgrimage and asked me to organize the celebration. I felt so blessed to be honored with this responsibility.

I quickly sat down and began to plan a spiritual journey for not only myself, but for the parishioners of St. Jerome and other local pilgrims as well. With a committee of Sister Lucia, Sheila Finnerty, and Jamie Chmiel, we planned out a monthly schedule of churches to visit throughout the Diocese of Saint Petersburg. Our pilgrimages would also be supported by a different ministry each month.

On our tours we learned about the parish history. We learned how Byzantine, Jesuit, Latin and Roman traditions are all closely related in the Catholic Church. We were treated to an authentic Ukrainian dinner, walked the Stations of the Cross, learned about the Stations of the Resurrection, and viewed the Icon of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on display from Rome as well as a relic of the Cross during a period of adoration. We also visited the site of the first Catholic Mass in Florida and received blessed oil from the Shrine of St. Michael. We received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. A Lourdes Virtual Tour was also hosted at St. Jerome where we touched relics from Lourdes, France and received a bottle of blessed water from Lourdes.  

Six of our pilgrimages offered a plenary indulgence as well, something that can be experienced by anyone at any of the officially designated pilgrimage sites throughout the diocese.  

The pilgrimages took us to:

• January - St. Therese Byzantine Catholic Church, St. Petersburg
• February - Epiphany of Our Lord Ukrainian Church, St. Petersburg
• February - Lourdes Virtual Tour at St. Jerome, Largo
• March - Saint Leo Abbey and St. Anthony of Padua, St. Leo
• April - St. Raphael, St. Petersburg
• May - Site of Narvaez Landing, St. Petersburg
• June - St. Ignatius of Antioch and Shrine of St. Michael, Tarpon Springs
• August - Our Lady of Divine Providence House of Prayer, Clearwater
• September - Espiritu Santo, Safety Harbor

Pilgrimages still on our schedule to complete the tour (all are welcome to attend):

• October - St. Patrick, Largo (October 12)
• November - Sacred Heart, Tampa (November 23)
• December - Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle, St. Petersburg (December 14)

Our Pilgrims of Hope Pilgrimage Tour will conclude in January as we host our Pilgrimage Closing Ceremony. This is open to all pilgrims that have attended any of our local pilgrimages throughout this holy year. We will recognize their faith-filled journey with prayer, a certificate of accomplishment, and lunch.

All of our pilgrimages include a fellowship meal after the tour. Some meals took place on the grounds of the church, and some were at local restaurants. It was a blessing to gather and share our thoughts of the day’s journey.

Approximately 180 pilgrims registered for our pilgrimage tours and lunches, with others that just joined the tour along the way. We were warmly welcomed at all our pilgrimage sites and found each one to be interesting and full of spirit. I believe these churches all deserve a visit, whether during a pilgrimage or not.

The story of our pilgrimage journey would not be complete without recalling our visit to Saint Leo Abbey. It was a beautiful day as we toured the grounds of Saint Leo and then drove down the street to visit St. Anthony of Padua. We had a picnic lunch on the grounds of both sites. Feeling well-fed and spiritually fulfilled, we began our journey home. Not long after getting on the expressway, the bus had a flat tire. We were well-blessed because shortly after pulling to the side of the road, along came a large RV that pulled up in front of us. The driver got out and offered to help. It was not just any passerby – it happened to be a former bus driver for St. Jerome! He recognized our bus and said he had to help. He took all of us stranded pilgrims in his RV and drove us back to home base. The power of prayer guided us all to safety.

This year-long journey has brought us spiritual enlightenment, hope, blessings, and newfound friendships. The pilgrims seemed to enjoy all our travels and hope for more in the year ahead.

For more information about St. Jerome’s pilgrimage and to register, contact Cheryl at stjeromepilgrimages@gmail.com.

For the pilgrimage flyer with the list of locations, click here.  

For more information about the official pilgrimage sites, click here.

For more information about the Jubilee Year of Hope, click here.