TARBORO - In communion with the universal Church, the parish of St. Catherine of Siena introduced the Jubilee year Feb. 9 during Sunday Mass.
Our youth presented the symbols of the Jubilee 2025, such as its logo and cross during the entrance procession. The logo serves as a powerful reminder to our community that, no matter the struggles we face in life, Jesus is our steadfast anchor and our unwavering hope. With four stylized figures, the logo represents humanity while embracing both solidarity and fraternity.
In our pilgrimage in life, we face rough waves but the figure of the cross at the front of the four stylized figures invokes us to hold onto the cross.
Our teens also contributed to the liturgy by proclaiming the readings and leading the community in the prayers of the faithful. The central theme of the homily invited us to reflect on our calling as pilgrims of hope.
In Sunday’s Gospel, St. Peter was called by Jesus to become a fisher of men. To not be afraid to catch people and lead them to Christ. As followers of Jesus, we are also called to catch people for Jesus and one way we can do that is by giving hope to many people who are desperately in need of good news. This hope, rooted in our relationship with God, will never disappoint, as St. Paul affirms in Romans 5:11.
Following the Eucharist, the community sang the official Jubilee hymn together.
We are particularly blessed to have a group of 15 youth and young adults that will be attending the Jubilee of Youth in Rome in July. As they embark on this spiritual pilgrimage, they will carry with them the prayers and intentions of our entire parish community, offering them as they pass through the holy doors of the papal basilicas in Rome.
In preparation for their pilgrimage, the group has been gathering for monthly catechesis since January, deepening their understanding and commitment to the Catholic faith. They discover the many lives of the saints as they look up to them as models of holiness and hope. Finally, they explore the rich history behind the traditions associated with jubilees.
Our pilgrim group is committed to the fundraisers, such as selling food and religious items, that are generating money toward travel expenses.
Together, we look forward to embracing this special year of grace, strengthening our bonds of faith, hope, and love, and walking this journey of spiritual renewal with new hearts. In this Jubilee year, the parish also kicked off with some challenges to the community.
Some of those challenges include papal blessing parchments through the Elemosineria Apostolica for those married at the parish this year, monthly acts of mercy and pilgrimages to shrines and religious sites within and outside the diocese.
One of the youths preparing for the Jubilee commented to me that this year is a spiritual year to start all over again.
I see it as a fresh start in my faith journey. It’s an opportunity to lay down all my past baggage and ask for a new heart to begin again. And that is hope! May this Jubilee year be a year of grace as we walk — pilgrims of hope.
Susana Contreras-Blanco is a youth member of St. Catherine of Siena Parish.
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