Most of us won’t be able to travel to Rome or another venerated site in 2025. We can, however, make a few small pilgrimages to places of significance close by. Bishop Parkes has designated six churches in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg as pilgrimage sites during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. The Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in
St. Petersburg, Espiritu Santo in Safety Harbor, Sacred Heart in downtown Tampa, St. Leo Abbey in St. Leo, St. Benedict in Crystal River, and
St. Stanislaus Chapel in Brooksville. We’re highlighting one of these each week and travel to
St. Stanislaus Chapel today. If you want to find out more about these sites or diocesan plans for the Jubilee, visit dosp.org/jubilee2025.
“Go and announce the gospel of the Lord.” You may remember hearing something like this at the end of Mass and perhaps thought, “How can I do this?”
In early January four young adults attended the SEEK Young Adult Conference in Salt Lake City. This reflection by Jose Zamora centers on the conference’s fifth day.
We all had a profound encounter with the Lord at the conference, experiencing His mercy, love, peace, and joy. This made the last day a little bit sad because we were not ready to return home. We wanted to stay and continue to live this joyful time. Despite that, we knew we could not keep the experience to ourselves. We needed to “Go and announce the gospel of the Lord!”
But will we? How can we share our experiences? How can we spread the gospel when it can feel intimidating? There is fear of others’ reactions, embarrassment, and anxiety when speaking to strangers, or even our friends and family.
We are all called to be disciples and spread the gospel, and one of the most powerful ways to do so is through our actions. People listen to joyful people and are drawn to follow joyful people. So, always remember to live out the joy of the gospel. If you ever find it difficult to do so, remember that the God who created the universe knows you by name and loves you.
