2025 Jubilee Little Flower High School Pilgrimage

"Hope does not disappoint!"

June 11 - 19, 2025

 

Day 1

Hitting the ground running was the name of the game for Day 1! Before we even made it to our hotel, we visited the Basilica of Sant’ Antonio for Mass.  this was Fr. Tom’s first Mass in Rome as a priest!  From there we went to the Scala Santa where Ben explained the history and most of our group climbed the stairs on their knees.  We then visited St. John Lateran and Tomas carried our parish prayer intentions through its Holy Doors.  Our third visit was the Basilica of San Clemente and its ancient ruins. We think Teddy could have spent the whole day there!  Of course there was gelato stop #1 as well and we may have sampled just about every flavor.  We finished up with a quick tour of the North American College with our seminarians, Patrick and Joseph including a group picture on their roof. No one slept well (if at all ) on the flights, so we fell into beds last night!! Onward today to tour Ancient Rome.

 

Day 2

Today was a scorcher!  Rome is having a little heat wave, and 97F took a toll as we covered over 12 miles walking around the city.  We started our day returning to the North American College for Mass.  This is where Fr. Tom did his final years of seminary and marked his first Mass there as a priest.  Brendan and William served for him.  He pointed out that the altar was refurbished in 2000 to mark the last Jubilee year.  How special that we could be with him for this Mass in this Jubilee year!  We had a wonderful lunch and Patrick our summer seminarian from last year was able to join us.  

We then moved on to tour the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.  Santiago shared a history and prayer at the Forum about the Arch of Titus.  We had a guided tour so we learned a lot of history about the early Church in Rome, and how these places fit in the story.  Clare, Ana, and Jorge are quite the dedicated photographers so we hope you are enjoying their photos!  By then, our legs were tired and our heads were hot, so we took the subway back to the shopping areas around the Vatican.  We all wanted to buy some items for the papal blessing at Mass later in the week.  We’re pivoting a bit because the extreme heat is moving Pope Leo’s Mass indoors.  We’ll adjust!  

We were able to have several Sisters from Sr. Grace Marie’s order join us for dinner which was a nice treat.  And then to beat the heat - of course another gelato outing.  These are quickly becoming favorites!  

Turning in because tomorrow is another busy day.

 

Day 3

Our pilgrims start each day with a group meeting and some reflections from our personal prayer books that Sr. Grace Marie designed.  This helps to keep our daily intentions in mind, as well as allows us to have all the daily Mass readings.  Speaking of Mass, today we had an incredibly special opportunity.  We visited St. Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) and Fr. Tom was able to celebrate a private Mass for us in the chapel right next to Pope Francis‘ tomb. So powerful!!  Today is the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Door here depicts Mary with a hand outstretched.  Fr. Tom has brought reflections on each of the Holy Doors, which give us a great context for each one.  The Basilica is stunning and our student pilgrims were very impressed by the row of priests hearing confessions in so many languages. Many of us took that opportunity to have confession heard here in this special place.

From there, we moved on to the Angelicum and Gregorian, the universities our ADW seminarians attend here. We were disappointed to find that the Angelicum (where Fr. Tom attended) was closed for construction though.  However the Holy Spirit provides!   We chatted with a Dominican priest outside on the steps and learned he had studied in DC. Our new friend was naturally able to bypass those pesky restrictions!  He took us all they way up to the top floor, where we could photograph the sweeping views of the city. We then had some time to refresh in the Gregorian Café before moving onto the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. These students are soaking up history here.  So many amazing questions!  They have also been preparing history reports/reflections for each of the sites we visit.  Ana and Brendan did a fabulous job with theirs today.  

The city is quite crowded on this weekend day, so our blue shirts are really helpful for keeping our group together.  They read “Jubilee of Sport - Little Flower, Bethesda MD. Proud parish of Olympians.”   We are advertising our wonderful parish and representing you all very well!   Our afternoon was very eventful. 

We arrived at St. Peter’s Square and started our “pilgrimage walk.”  Each group is given a Jubilee Cross to carry and a prayer sheet to use as they make a solemn walk through the Square to the Holy Doors.  The students took turns with the cross, did some readings, and prayed the Litany of Saints together.  In our photos, you can see Charlie carrying the stack of prayer intentions we collected.  Please know these prayers of yours have been with us every day!  

There were pilgrim groups before us and behind us - some made up of older people, some families . . .  So many languages praying at the same time and some even singing with joy!  We  entered St. Peter’s Basilica just in awe.  Whether this was our first visit or one of many, this was unlike any other. The pilgrim groups wound through the church and then each had time at the altar to pray and reflect.  

After that experience, we made our way to dinner, hot and tired and very hungry - but with such big smiles.  Part of our group (those of the greatest endurance!) pressed on from there and returned to the Vatican for night Eucharistic Adoration.  Every single one of them came back wide-eyed and profoundly moved by that experience. Our busy days have not provided much (if any!) time to be still, so taking that time to be still with Jesus - and doing it in the silence of a place that had just been packed to the rafters with people - was something they will never forget!

Everyone was hustled to bed quickly because we needed to be out the door at 6:15am on Sunday.  (Please pray for our chaperones.  If you’ve ever had to wake a sleepy teen day after day, you can understand what doing that x17 might be like!!  Haha!)

 

Day 4

Sunday - oh where to begin?!  We started the day with a different game plan.  The oppressive heat in Rome forced the Vatican to move the Jubilee Mass indoors. That required a new strategy for seating. We had a double reason to want prime viewing because not only did we want to see Pope Leo, we also wanted to see our Fr. Tom who would be processing with the concelebrating priests.  What an opportunity for him!  

We were up and out the door with the morning sun, and made it to a line.  A long line.  A line that was already down the sidewalk outside of St. Peter’s Square. We were worried we missed our opportunity to get coveted aisle seats. But with a speed not normally seen in the wee hours of the morning, 17 teens hustled through security and were able to position themselves in seven rows right along the center aisle!!  The Mass was televised in the US on EWTN and many of you reported seeing our sea of red shirts in many shots.  One red shirt was a bit more visible however.  As we were sitting waiting for Mass to start, Vatican ushers came over and asked Tomas to be in the offertory procession to the Holy Father. We all sat in disbelief!  Then we quickly started messaging home so people would know to tune in.  (Sorry if you got a 2am message from us, but we were so excited!!)

Mass began and we snapped TONS of pictures as Pope Leo (and Fr. Tom!) processed just an arms length away.  The Holy Father smiled and waved right at us!  The Mass was in Italian so we followed along piecing together the order of the Mass as we knew it.  Soon it was time to watch our fellow pilgrim mount the steps of the altar and straight to the Holy Father.  What an amazing and proud moment!!  

Mass ended and we plotted our strategy to get Pope Leo’s attention as he left the Basilica.  As the recessional moved down the aisle, our people with end seats unfurled a Villanova flag and an American flag along the wall.  Bingo!  He looked right over and gave us a thumbs up and a smile!  Thank you to Mrs. Ochoa for bringing along our attention-getters!!

One other interesting point, many of the priests noticed our group as they were walking out and happily said “Little Flower!” when reading the logo on our shirts. St. Therese is such a beloved saint, and many priests have a special devotion to her. No matter what their nationality or language, they seemed to recognize the words “Little Flower” very easily.  We are lucky to have such a beloved patroness!   

After Mass, Pope Leo gave a blessing in the Square, but most of us were not well-positioned for that.  I think we’re still happy with that trade-off though for what happened inside! We moved on to lunch for our famished pilgrims which we strategically reserved right outside the Square. 

We have been eating like true Romans - pastas and pizzas and gelato and tiramisu! Our mealtimes are lively, joyful times, and a nice rest for tired feet.  We’re averaging 25,000 steps per day!

Our afternoon brought us to the Capuchin Bone Church which was unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Entire rooms decorated with bones!  It was very interesting and the audio tour was helpful to understand the unique. We also visited the Spanish Steps and the Trinita dei Monti Church at the top which is displaying St. Therese relics during this Jubilee Year. From there we broke into two groups with one doing some shopping near the Spanish Steps while another trekked out to visit the Chiesa Del Gesu and Basilica dei Santi XII Apostoli.  

It was a long day, still in the upper 90’s, and some tired pilgrims were nodding off during dinner.

 

Day 5

Today started early again with a walk back to St. Peter’s, this time for our own Mass. Fr. Tom was able to reserve us a chapel in the crypt level very near the tomb of St. Peter himself. We have had some amazing opportunities to worship during this trip! Later we toured St. Peter’s in more detail and were able to visit the Vatican Museums and see the Sistine Chapel. No pictures allowed there, but you’ve probably all seen it on tv a lot lately anyway!

In the late afternoon (another scorcher at 96F!) we journeyed up Gianicolo Hill again to have some downtime at the North American College. Seminarian Joseph and Fr. Ben Bralove met us and found some soccer balls. Maybe it was the location up high, but the shady field felt decidedly cooler than down in the city. The kids burned off energy we didn’t even know they had! Many parishioners will remember Fr. Bralove from when he was “Seminarian Ben” at Little Flower in the summer two years ago. He will return from Rome now and into an assignment in July. 

After dinner nearby, Fr. Tom realized this was the only remaining chance he’d have to get to his favorite gelato place. That required another 45 minutes of walking, but our pilgrims were all in for anything that ends in a sweet treat! 

 

Day 6

We had two more visits yesterday. When Sr. Grace Marie lived here in Rome, she worked at the Dicastery of Interreligious Dialogue. The Secretary and Undersecretary graciously hosted us for a discussion about the types of work the Dicastery does, and why it is important for the Church to offer openness to other faiths.  Our students had some impressive questions (and enjoyed using the official conference room table microphones!) and we all learned a great deal about how the Dicastery’s work helps the Pope to enter into dialogue with people of other faiths. From there we picked up our “pilgrimage diplomas” at the Jubilee office in St. Peter’s Square. We’re really learning our way around that plaza area!

Today’s schedule was going to take us to the outskirts of town. But first we took the metro bus to Campo de’ Fiori. We heard Helen’s presentation on the area and dis a bit of shopping. Our pilgrims used their teenage negotiating skills to save a few euros on prices with some vendors too!  

We then enjoyed a blissful air conditioned ride to the huge complex that forms the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus. As we waited for our tour and Mass to be set up, we took a group photo with the Appian Way as our background. We also gathered those in our group who serve as altar servers for a photo in front of the original tomb of St. Tarcisius. Any guesses why?  He’s the patron saint of altar servers!   We knew Fr. Stuart would be overjoyed and will feature this prominently in his weekly email. Tomas presented his report on the history of the catacombs and the martyrs buried there.  We really enjoyed the deep underground tour, and while still far below ground, Fr. Tom celebrated Mass for us in one of the catacomb rooms.  This was another unique and full-circle experience as this is where he preached his first Mass as a deacon.  It was even more memorable because he reworked parts of the homily he initially preached to family and friends, for us as the first parish where he’s served as a priest. Although we may only represent a small part of the parish, the large stack of handwritten intentions from all of Little Flower was right on the altar symbolizing that everyone was with us in spirit.

We continued on to one last location for the day - St. Paul Outside the Walls. This massive church was the last of the four major papal basilicas we had on our schedule, and the last of our Holy Doors. Anna Cecelia was our intention carrier and brought all the parish prayers through with us. We were able to look all around the basilica and at some of the huge statues of St. Paul. We also spotted the “When I was in Prison” sculpture which is by the same artist as “Angels Unawares” and “Be Welcoming” which we’d seen in St. Peter’s Square.  

Our bus was waiting to take us further outside the city for dinner al fresco. Today was a mellow day compared to the over 30,000 steps we logged yesterday!!!  Certainly you’d think we’ll be coming back slimmer from all the walking in the heat. But alas . . . more of that irresistible gelato again!  The walk back to the hotel had us comparing our favorite flavors and hoping we can sneak in just a bit more. Our trip is winding down.  But stay tuned - we have a big day tomorrow!

 

Day 7

Andiamo! That’s Italian for “Let’s go!” and it is a word we’ve certainly heard a lot these last days. Today was no different. We were up early for breakfast and in good moods after a fun evening. We have loved these delicious Italian breakfasts, but today we moved quickly, and hopped on a bus to head away from Rome to another beautiful, holy Italian city - Assisi!

We were able to meet up with two more of Sr. Grace Marie’s community members from the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. They live and work here in Assisi. Our own Anna Cecilia set the stage with her presentation, and then Sr. Agnese gave us a wonderfully personal tour. Our first stop was the Basilica of Saint Francis and we were able to tour both the lower and upper churches. The frescoes were amazing!  Sister was able to help us really understand the life and ministry of St. Francis and how that extends into the Franciscan religious communities to this day.

We then toured the Chapel of Saint Clare where our Clare gave a wonderful orientation to the life of her patroness. We visited and prayed at St. Clare’s tomb and learned more about the building. The pilgrims then had some free time to explore and enjoy lunch in this quaint city. 

After lunch, we moved down to the Sanctuary of the Renunciation where Blessed Carlo Acutis’ body is interred. Vivian and Caroline gave presentations which helped us learn more about this church, as well as the life and spirituality of this special young man, soon to become a saint. When we moved past his glass-sided tomb, the full realization that this was a saint that could have sat right amongst them was evident. Everything about the teenager they were looking at was familiar to their own experience, and their rapt expressions made that clear.  

Our Mass today was celebrated mere yards from this holy young man’s resting place. Today was also Fr. Tom‘s third ordination anniversary but more about that later. It would be impossible to choose a favorite Mass from this pilgrimage, but today especially it was as if all of the elements of our pilgrimage came together in the most beautiful of ways.  We will post some of Fr. Tom’s homily later, but today was powerful and we walked out with the words of our recessional hymn sitting on our hearts . . .

Will you come and follow me If I but call your name? Will you go where you don't know And never be the same? Will you let my love be shown, Will you let my name be known, Will you let my life be grown In you and you in me?

Will you love the 'you' you hide If I but call your name? Will you quell the fear inside And never be the same? Will you use the faith you've found To reshape the world around, Through my sight and touch and sound In you and you in me?

 

 

Final Reflection

We left off as our pilgrims returned from Assisi. Throughout our days, our student pilgrims carried the large stack of intentions submitted by the parish. Those came with us every step of the pilgrimage, through every Holy Door, and were placed on the altar at every daily Mass. On the bus ride home, Fr. Tom read every single one aloud. For some, he omitted names for privacy and replaced them with “my loved one.”  I was struck that many parishioners perhaps had a similar intention unwritten, but in their hearts - the same intention but with a different name. By using general terms, we were praying for many who were not even aware of it.  

Somehow all of our days together had completely flown by and our final day in Italy was coming to an end. We had dinner and one more gelato walk as a few raindrops fell on our last evening in Rome. We returned to the hotel for a closing meeting. We discussed the reflection questions that Sr. Grace Marie prepared, and the students were eagerly sharing experiences and feelings from the week.  

We also wanted to celebrate Fr. Tom’s third ordination anniversary in a tangible way. Mr. Barry had brought along a copy of Father’s ordination prayer card which features an image of Jesus calming the storm on the sea. Earlier in the week, he had spotted Jubilee prayer cards which also featured Jesus and some disciples in a boat, mirroring the Jubilee logo. It didn’t take much chaperone brainstorming for an idea for a special memory to take shape.  Each pilgrim was given a card and we all secretly wrote a heartfelt message to our intrepid leader on the blank side. Little Flower has been the parish where Fr. Tom’s priesthood came to life. We have been so blessed to have shared these years with him, especially as he’s given so much of his time to high school ministry. As his days with our parish come to an end, we wanted to assure him that we will be “in his boat” forever because his ministry has touched us in profound ways. What a lucky group we are that he shared some of the final days of his assignment with us!

From the time this trip was a “go,” Fr. Tom planned our robust itinerary with personal care. This city is so important to Catholics that he wanted to squeeze as many of the highlights as we could into our days. But it was also evident just how special this city is to him on a personal level.  He has treasured memories from his years in formation here, and he shared those with us as he returned for the first time as a priest. As a way to hold  onto that, we presented him with a mockup of a photo poster we designed. The 25 squares contain our names and images of the sites we visited throughout the week. But on the final poster, the sample images will be replaced with our own photographs of the sites we researched and presented.  It will be Rome as seen through our pilgrim eyes. We hope it will be a treasured keepsake for him.

So now we pack up our suitcases. We’re certainly bringing back a lot of sweaty, dirty clothes. This morning Jorge said something that made me think about that.  He said he’d tried a new gelato flavor each day, and one of his shirts has a healthy variety of stains now. He happily exclaimed, “This shirt tells a really good story!” I think that’s a good symbol for our pilgrimage. Our dirty, sweaty, rumpled clothes tell the story of a trip that took sacrifice - through early mornings, late nights, and long hot days.  But it also brought joy - from seeing the history of our Church with our own eyes. This was a trip that gave us all new friends, new experiences, new souvenirs, new confidence, and best of all, new faith. We are Pilgrims of Hope, and just like the Jubilee motto says, “Hope Does Not Disappoint.”

Arrivederci Roma.  Grazie!

 

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