Written by By Bethany Deadman
Walking up to the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica, carrying a heavy wooden cross, surrounded by chanting devoted Nuns on my 32nd Birthday, felt like a surreal dream. I still reflect on that day and think ‘did that actually happen?’ But it did!
When the Catholic Jubilee year was announced at my Parish Church and Father Michael explained that this year’s theme was ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, I casually thought ‘what would this have to do with me?’ The year drifted by and I didn’t give Rome a second thought until the very sad passing of Pope Francis in early April, 2025. He was my favourite Pope to date, and his mantras such as to be Christian is to ‘heal wounds and warm heart’ had carried and nurtured my faith during my transition from lost teenager to independent professional woman. The scenes of huge crowds in the Vatican City and the Pope’s beautiful funeral service lit a flame of curiosity. What is this Catholic Jubilee year about, and could I be part of it? I suggested a Pilgrimage to Rome for my birthday week in early October to Mum and Dad, and without hesitation, they agreed it sounded like a marvellous idea.
We had a wonderful week together with many spiritual experiences. On our first day we passed through the Holy Door at St Maria Maggiore Basilica and paid our respects to Pope Francis. This church sits on a busy intersection near the central station; Pope Francis came to pray here every time he travelled, leading to his request to be buried close and accessible to his people. His tomb is beautiful, but simple, and I would encourage everyone to visit. We also made a day trip to Assisi, where we explored the Basilicas of St Clare and St Francis of Assisi. To kneel in front of the 12th Century San Damiano Crucifix that famously spoke to St Francis, was humbling and inspiring, and the artwork in the lower Basilica of was dazzlingly detailed.
Of course, the highlight of our week was our pilgrimage to the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday 8th October. Signing up to a pilgrimage online months before wasn’t entirely straight forward and going as trio meant we would need to join a larger group. My birthday coincided with the ‘Jubilee of Consecrated Life’ meaning Rome was packed with Nuns, Monks and Orderlies from all corners of the Catholic Faith, all with the same intention. We arrived at the allotted start point to find a calm but disorganised atmosphere. An earlier papal audience meant pilgrimages were starting an hour later than planned, so we befriended a small group of Indonesian Nuns to try and figure out what was going on. Initially reserved, they quickly took a shine to us the mutual benefits of having native English Speakers in their small group became clear. Sister Monica, their leader was a force to be reckoned with; the group had a busy schedule and were determined to be one of the first to set off, and they wanted a wooden cross to follow. We stuck with them, and soon enough, we were on our way up the Pilgrims Way on Via Della Conciliazione.
As we walked, we followed the Pilgrims payer sheet, reciting psalms, readings and the litany of saints, as well as countless Hail Marys and Our Fathers. I felt my faith, sometimes a struggling ember, grow into a bright flame and God was with us as we walked and chanted. After the security gates, the Sisters were keen for me to carry our cross, so without hesitation I took over from the previous pilgrim for 100m or so; it was surprisingly heavy! Passing through the Holy Door into St Peter’s Basilica, I felt forgiven and embraced by the grace of our Lord. And then I looked up. St Peter’s Basilica is undoubtedly the most breath-taking church I have ever visited. I lost my place in
our prayer, completely overwhelmed. Everything was supersized, exquisitely detailed, and beautifully preserved. Truly I believe I could hear the beating of heart of the Catholic faith reverberating across the vast space and into the magnificent central dome. We carried on walking with our group of Nuns to as close to the Tomb of the Apostle Peter as we could. There we professed our faith with the Apostles creed and finished our Pilgrimage. There were hugs, photos and a few small tears, as we all realised, we had just had a very close and special encounter with God, through Christ, at the centre of the Catholic Universe.
Each Individual Jubilee Event is a two day celebration, with a prayer vigil in the evening and the further events the next day. We attended Mass in St Peter’s Square, presided over by Pope Leo, on Thursday 9th October. This was another beautiful, life-affirming celebration and the square was packed full of worshippers. The Pope even went for a drive round in his Pope Mobile afterwards and we got a wave!
I would encourage anyone to make a Pilgrimage to Rome, Jubilee Year or otherwise. The city is packed full of stunning churches, ancient architecture, and delicious food. We spent a whole week there and there was still plenty more to see! Our trip was an incredible blessing, bringing us closer to God and each other.
Bethany Deadman is a member of the parish of Holy Name
Sunday Mass: Saturday 4pm, Sunday 10am 