Incarnation Catholic Church in Tampa led 148 parishioners on a pilgrimage to four of the six churches designated as official sites. To assist participants in spiritual preparation, the parish held a bilingual evening retreat prior to the pilgrimage.

For Guadalupe Hernandez, this pilgrimage went beyond an opportunity to visit churches with her community– it became an experience that truly deepened her faith.

“Before the Jubilee pilgrimage, I felt spiritually peaceful and at the same time happy because I felt that something great was coming into my life,” she said. “After the pilgrimage, I felt a strengthening of faith and mercy with an abundance of spiritual peace and a liberation of the heart from all my sins. The most beautiful thing being the strengthening of mercy and spiritual peace, so that I may have the full forgiveness of temporal sorrows and have solidarity with God.”

The pilgrims made their way to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tampa, Mass at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in St. Petersburg, Espiritu Santo Catholic Church in Safety Harbor, and concluded at Saint Leo Abbey in St. Leo.

Father Vijay Polamarasetty had the opportunity to lead the group through this enriching experience. Now assigned to St. Clement Catholic Church in Plant City, he was able to return to Incarnation to lead this group.

“I feel so happy and privileged to conduct this Jubilee Year pilgrimage,” he shared. “And I give thanks to our beloved bishop for opening six churches with holy doors and Father Mike Cormier, the pastor at Incarnation Catholic Church, for permitting me to organize this event.”

Each of the four stops on their journey are designated as official pilgrimage locations by Bishop Gregory Parkes. During a Jubilee Year, Catholics may receive a plenary indulgence by making a pilgrimage, having a detachment from sin, going to confession, receiving Holy Communion, and praying for the intentions of the pope. As they visited each church, all pilgrims prayed one Our Father and three Hail Marys for the intentions of our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV. They also had the space and time in the Church to pray their own personal prayers.

“I had a wonderful experience. Every church that we visited was a blessing,” shared Felicia Westbrook, parishioner at Incarnation Catholic Church. 

“If you haven’t gone on a Pilgrimage of Hope, please go and do it with your community. It is a great blessing.”

Many participants were so deeply moved by this pilgrimage that they expressed their desire for others to experience the grace and blessings as well.

“This pilgrimage on the occasion of the Jubilee was definitely a renewing experience. I am very moved to be able to experience the infinite mercy of our God who blesses us and gives us gifts such as this pilgrimage in this Holy Year,” said Yahir Bonet, parishioner at Incarnation Catholic Church. “Receiving His Divine Grace and also being able to make offerings for other souls fills my heart with hope and firmness to continue to pilgrimage on the only path– our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless this Jubilee Year and may many more people come to Him to experience His mercy and love.”

For more information about making a pilgrimage in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, click here. 

To read the article about our six pilgrimage sites, click here. 

To access the pilgrimage passport, click here.

Take Flat Bishop Parkes with you on your pilgrimages to our churches. Follow us on social media @diostpete and share your #flatbishop photos with us! An example of a #flatbishop post can be found here.