‘Moments of grace and unity’

East Tennessee pilgrims recall taking part in the Jubilee of Hope

The East Tennessee Catholic

On Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany, Pope Leo XIV closed the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica, officially marking the end of the Holy Year and the Jubilee of Hope. Pope Francis had opened the Holy Door on Christmas Eve 2024, inviting Catholics all over the world to be “pilgrims of hope.”

“The whole world came to Rome [for the Holy Year],” said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Holy See’s official point man for the jubilee.

Indeed, almost 33.5 million pilgrims from 185 countries traveled to Rome during the Jubilee Year. And some of those pilgrims were from East Tennessee.

In May, a group of 20 people from the Diocese of Knoxville  went on a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul to Malta and Sicily, ending in Rome. Father Mike Nolan, pastor of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Cleveland, was the spiritual leader.

“There were certainly lots of moments of grace and unity,” Father Nolan said.

He recalled a volunteer—one of several thousand who helped guide pilgrims around Rome during the jubilee—who welcomed the group at St. Peter’s Basilica. Later, the same volunteer recognized them at a different church. Though a language barrier prevented them from speaking, the welcoming smile, wave, and small recognition made an impact.

“That’s a reminder, frankly, of how as Church we are supposed to treat each other, even amidst great crowds,” Father Nolan said. “Regardless of language, through a face, a smile, a gesture, we can open doors for others.”

“This was the pilgrimage of hope, Jubilee of Hope. That is not done in isolation but in community, and in community we have to deal with each other, pilgrims or tourists, and walk through open doors that are open wide for us, willing to share our faith and our need for community as we accompany one another throughout the pilgrimage of life,” he added.

Open doors are a major symbol of the jubilee, as Rome’s Holy Doors are only opened on jubilee years as a visual sign of God’s mercy. Pilgrims walk through the Holy Doors and receive a plenary indulgence.

“Doors, if they are open, invite us in, to a deeper relationship with Christ or with one another, and so when we go to church, whether daily or on Sundays or on Christmas, we expect to find open doors. But at every Mass, at the end of Mass, we are sent forth back through those doors on our ongoing mission, transformed by the Scriptures, transformed by the sacraments, challenged and equipped on our ongoing pilgrimage,” Father Nolan said.

The pilgrimage group went through the Holy Doors at each of the major basilicas in Rome.

“After passing through the Holy Doors of the basilicas of St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. Mary Major, and St. John Lateran, our final Holy Door was St. Peter’s Basilica,” said Lisa Morris, who organized the pilgrimage through pilgrimage tour operator Select International.

“We followed the cross down the Via della Conciliazione, passing through the final Holy Door of St. Peter’s with hearts full of joy, and gratitude. Truly a pilgrimage of so many blessings and graces to last and cherish for a lifetime,” Mrs. Morris noted.

The group also attended a Sunday Angelus given by Pope Leo.

“It was only the second Sunday Angelus by the newly elected pope, and the excitement from the thousands of pilgrims in the square was tangible and electric,” Ms. Morris said.

In June, Emily Booker, digital media producer for the Diocese of Knoxville, made the pilgrimage to Rome with her father, Alan Booker.

“It was my first time to Rome, and I felt so blessed for the opportunity to be a part of the Jubilee and go through the Holy Doors. It was also incredible seeing the shrines of so many saints and walking in the footsteps of the many holy men and women who have worshiped in Rome for centuries,” Ms. Booker said.

The Bookers also attended a General Audience with Pope Leo.

“It was amazing being so close to the new American pope,” she said. “And being with all the people in the square from so many countries—it really made me feel part of a truly universal Church.”

Deacon Joe Herman, who serves at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Mountain City, journeyed to Rome in November with his wife, Lucia, and others on a pilgrimage led by Monsignor Al Humbrecht, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Soddy-Daisy.

The 10-day pilgrimage from Nov. 3-13 that the Hermans were on included trips to Assisi and San Giovani in Italy.

Deacon Herman said the pilgrimage was filled with blessings and graces and also was special because he was able to assist Monsignor Humbrecht, who celebrated Mass daily during the pilgrimage.

“Monsignor Al was the only person on the pilgrimage I knew pretty well. By the end of the trip, it reminded me of graduating from high school. We made all these friends in that short period of time and then you go your separate ways. But it was a neat trip,” Deacon Herman said.

Deacon Joe and Lucia Herman were originally scheduled to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in November 2023, but on Oct. 7, 2023, militant groups launched a surprise attack on Israel, which essentially shut down Israel to tourism.

In the meantime, Monsignor Humbrecht was planning a Jubilee Year pilgrimage to Rome and reached out to the group that was to go to the Holy Land to gauge its interest in visiting Rome.

“We were able to go through the Holy Doors at St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major. That was very special. We were very fortunate to be able to see the pope up close during his Wednesday address while we were there,” Deacon Herman recalled. “His address was very moving. He was very down to earth.”

The Hermans also found Assisi, in the footsteps of St. Francis, and St. Padre Pio’s birthplace moving experiences.

“Being a country boy from Mountain City, I really enjoyed going to Assisi. We also went to Pietrelcina in Italy, which is where St. Padre Pio is from. We got to celebrate Mass in the same church where he was baptized and then where he celebrated his first Mass, his thanksgiving Mass. We also got to see the home he grew up in as a child,” Deacon Herman said.

The Hermans are looking forward to making another Jubilee Year pilgrimage.

“I would like to do that again. I would like to go back in 2050 if I’m still around,” he said. “Monsignor Al was great. He has been to Rome and through Italy several times. He’s just a great person anyway.”

Monsignor Humbrecht described how the pilgrims were excited to visit Pietrelcina, Italy, the birthplace of St. Padre Pio, and how they were able to have a pilgrim Mass in the church with help from the local Italian tour guide there amid logistical challenges.

“We began our pilgrimage in Assisi. I have been blessed to visit Assisi several times before. The Basilica of St. Francis, the Church of St. Clare with the San Damiano cross that spoke to St. Francis and the church housing the tomb of St. Carlo Acutis are very special places. But I enjoy being able to just walk around the city that has such a sense of peace and tranquility about it,” Monsignor Humbrecht said.

“I have for a long time had a special appreciation for Trappist monasteries. In Rome we visited the Abbey of the Fontane, given to the Trappists in 1140. It is venerated as the site of the martyrdom of St. Paul and several early martyrs. They also make great chocolates,” the monsignor noted.

In October, Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus parishioners Taylor and Caitlyn Crosby made their pilgrimage to Rome.

“We were so excited for our first visit to Rome to coincide with the 2025 Jubilee Year,” Mrs. Crosby said. “It was important for us to make the pilgrimage together, which was incredibly moving and shaped our faith journey.”

The couple went through all four Holy Doors, visited several other churches, attended a Sunday Angelus given by Pope Leo, and attended adoration at St. Peter’s Basilica.

“We were able to visit the tombs of St. Peter, St. Paul, Pope Francis, Pope Benedict [XVI], and countless other faith leaders. We saw countless relics from saints across the Church’s history, such as those of St. Thérèse. These small moments and glimpses of the Catholic Church’s history made for countless moments of beautiful, prayerful reflection,” Mrs. Crosby said.

“Walking through the Holy Doors, visiting the beautiful churches, seeing the droves of pilgrims was a more profound experience than we could have ever imagined, and we are so blessed to have been able to experience it. We look forward to the day we get to go back and bring our kids with us.”

Also in October, Father Peter Iorio, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa and vicar general and moderator of the curia for the diocese, and Jim Wogan, former communications director for the diocese, represented the diocese at the three-day Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies.

The trip included speakers and classrooms sessions focused on the next steps in the Synod, concluding with Mass with Pope Leo. Father Iorio was able to concelebrate the Mass.

Father Iorio described the Jubilee Year pilgrimage to Rome as part of the Synod as truly memorable for the many ways he experienced the fullness of the Church.

“It was an unexpected special gift to be able to participate in the Synodal Teams event that was part of the jubilee. To have the focus on the synodal way was enlightening, and because there were over 2,000 people taking part in that particular jubilee event, it was encouraging. I was especially impressed by Pope Leo, who addressed our group and was very in tune with this process because he had participated in it prior to his election,” Father Iorio said. “His knowledge and response to issues throughout the Catholic Church and throughout the world was impressive.”

The Our Lady of Fatima pastor said personal highlights of the pilgrimage were seeing people he hadn’t seen in years and participating in workshops that had an emphasis on conversations in the Spirit.

“The beautiful vigil in St. Peter’s Square was a Marian-focused prayer service, and the closing Mass in the basilica was very special. It was a very memorable experience. Part of the memory is receiving the joy of the occasion and the message of hope and bringing that back as well as the diversity of our faith experiences. I will also have a memory of walking through the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica,” Father Iorio concluded.

More about Father Iorio’s and Mr. Wogan’s experience can be found in the article “Humbly seeking the truth” in the December 2025 edition of The East Tennessee Catholic.

As the Jubilee Year closes, the memories, blessings and graces from the year will carry on in the hearts of the pilgrims of hope who journeyed to Italy.