Parishes to host special Pilgrimage of Hope

Inspired by the 2025 Jubilee Year and the teachings of Pope Francis and St. Francis of Assisi, three north Omaha parishes will host a Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation on Sept. 13.

The event involves a walk, but it is also “a spiritual journey that weaves together prayer, community solidarity and a commitment to care for our common home,” organizers said.

“This pilgrimage is a landmark event in the 2025 Jubilee Year celebrations,” according to the parishes’ announcement of the pilgrimage. The celebration will be hosted by The Historic 24th Street Family of Parishes: Sacred Heart, St. Benedict the Moor and St. John on the Creighton University campus.

The pilgrimage marks the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ – which calls for the “care of our common home,” the earth  – and the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ “Canticle of the Creatures,” which praises God for Creation.

Church organizations around the world are celebrating their own versions of the Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation.

Pope Leo XIV celebrated a Mass for the Care of Creation in July. At that time, Archbishop Michael G. McGovern asked people to “join our Holy Father in praying to God in a spirit of gratitude for the wonder of creation and discern how we can best care for God’s creation in our communities.”

The Sept. 13 pilgrimage will begin with 9 a.m. Mass at Omaha’s Miller Park, which is bounded by Redick and Kansas avenues and North 24th and North 30th streets.

The pilgrimage walk will follow, proceeding along Florence Boulevard to Pershing Drive.

Along the walk, participants are called to “reflect, pray and stand in solidarity with residents of North Omaha who have long borne the health burdens of coal pollution.”

“Guided by the Pope’s call for ecological conversion, we will walk together in North Omaha,” the announcement said, “lifting up the voices of communities disproportionately impacted by environmental harm and advocating for clean air, environmental justice and a sustainable future.”

READ MORE FROM THE CATHOLIC VOICE: