By Peg Tichacek
March 3rd, 2025 - Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center
It was exciting in January to hear Pope Francis (let's continue to pray for his health and quick recovery) announce to the world that it was time to go to the Holy Land. Cardinal Pizzaballa extended a warm invitation too. I started to pack my bags! The waiting was over for the three pilgrimages I had helped plan in 2023 and 2024, which had been rescheduled for Fall 2025. Now, I could go and plan another one too.
Read his welcoming message: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2025-01/patriarch-pizzaballa-holy-land-pilgrimage-custos.html
I contacted my bishop to see if he would like to celebrate Mass on Pentecost in Jerusalem during the Jubilee year. However, just a few days later, political uncertainty and the once-wide-open door changed. Likewise, I was reminded of the many challenges involved in assembling a large group of international travelers on short notice.
The Pope’s invitation now takes a different form. Lent is approaching (or has begun?), and although fewer pilgrims will be in Jerusalem, the door to Jerusalem and the Holy Land in our hearts never closes. We are invited by the Pope to the Holy Land and by St. Paul, who said, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
Yes, we rejoice for the custodians who keep the doors open at the Holy Sites and thank God for the faithful believers who know uncertainty, loss, and suffering. Yes, we are generous with almsgiving as we unite as Pilgrims of HOPE in the Jubilee year. Yes to celebrating Mass, Easter, and Pentecost, no matter where our feet reside.
Peg Tichacek
Regnum Christi US Territory, Notre Dame Ambassador
Mistress of Pilgrimage in the Northern Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, USA
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