While crowding against the railings of St. Peter’s Square during a Dec. 31 blessing of the Vatican’s Nativity scene, students of Mary Immaculate Catholic School began to take up the tune of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” As they raised the hymn, the students were greatly surprised to discover the addition of a new voice: that of Pope Leo XIV, who had paused in his rounds to join in the festive song.
Pilgrimage
To celebrate three occasions — the worldwide Jubilee 2025; the 10th anniversary of the 2015 release of Pope Francis’ landmark environmental encyclical “Laudato Si'”; and the annual ecumenical Season of Creation Sept. 1-Oct. 4 — Catholics across America have committed themselves to spiritual expeditions not on the well-worn pilgrimage routes of Europe but in their own communities.
Thousands of young Poles made their way through the streets of Czestochowa July 19, singing and praying as they approached the Jasna Góra Marian shrine.
Walking under sunny skies with low humidity, a group of 15 pilgrims was ahead of schedule June 20 when they walked into the parking lot of the Finksburg Branch of Carroll County Public Library a little before 9:30 a.m.
With public processions, faith-filled celebrations, and deep devotion, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage made its way through the Diocese of Dallas June 3-5, drawing Catholics from across the diocese into communion with Christ and marking a significant milestone in the U.S. Church’s three-year National Eucharistic Revival.
Eight “perpetual pilgrims” are planning to journey from Indianapolis to Los Angeles May 18 to June 22 in the second National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. They hail from several states and include both college students and young professionals.
Bangladesh’s oldest and largest Catholic pilgrimage, venerating St. Anthony of Padua, drew thousands to the Archdiocese of Dhaka’s shrine for an event that through the years has turned into an interfaith religious gathering.
As many throughout the United States enjoyed a day off this past November in recognition of the nation’s military veterans, a group of men from St. Patrick Catholic Church in Dallas have found a unique way to honor U.S. veterans.
The boom in the number of pilgrims on Spain’s famous El Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James, hit a new record of almost half a million last year. Among them were 38,000 Americans.
To have a true Christian pilgrimage experience along the Camino de Santiago — the popular pilgrimage in northern Spain that leads to the tomb of St. James — pilgrims must cultivate silence, prayer, and charity along their route, Pope Francis said.