Local pilgrims join Rome celebrations
International
A very busy few weeks for Payneham parishioners as they visited Rome to commemorate the Jubilee Year.
In mid-2024, I floated the idea of a parish pilgrimage to Rome to commemorate the Jubilee Year of 2025 for Payneham parishioners and neighbouring parishes.
A key aspect to a successful pilgrimage is good spiritual and practical preparation for the pilgrims before departure. We reminded ourselves that although we were visiting important holy sites, a pilgrim is different to a tourist and must remember this distinction along the journey especially when things don’t go to plan.
Whenever we experienced a change to our plans or difficulties along the way (and there were many) I would remind our pilgrims that it was a POPE moment (Part of Pilgrimage Experience) and to identify what God was asking for us from the experience. During the pilgrimage we carried prayer intentions of Payneham parishioners in a special book which we placed at the tombs of various saints.
Our pilgrimage began in Turin to pay homage to St John Bosco and venerate the Shroud of Turin which unfortunately was not exposed. On the second evening we heard that white smoke was coming from the Sistine Chapel and eagerly awaited the announcement of the new Holy Father.
We then moved to Padua where we visited the tomb of St Anthony and celebrated Mass. Our Lady Queen of Peace Church Payneham is twinned with the Basilica of
St Anthony in Padova and has enjoyed a strong relationship for many years through the Feast of St Anthony. We were warmly greeted by Fr Mario Conte OFM Conv, the editor of the English edition of the Messenger of St Anthony, and who pointed out certain gems in the basilica.
We also visited the tomb of St Mark in Venice, the Holy House of Nazareth in Loreto, the tomb of St Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo, the cave of St Michael the Archangel and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii.
On our way to Naples, we made the windy journey up to the Territorial Abbey of Montevergine (1300 metres above sea level) where we celebrated Mass and prayed before the large icon of Our Lady. We remembered the many Catholics of Italian heritage in Adelaide who have a strong devotion to Our Lady of Montevergine and celebrate her feast annually at Newton.
It was providential that our time in Rome coincided with the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV. Our visit to St Mary Major was abandoned due to the Jubilee of Confraternities swarming the area, however an unexpected grace was a visit to the nearby Redemptorist Church of St Alphonsus which houses the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour which is venerated in many Australian parishes.
Due to complicated logistics, only half of the group made the 5am start to head to St Peter’s Square for the Inauguration Mass while the other half watched the Mass at our hostel and waited for our return mid-afternoon. We brought an Australian flag and banner which was created by our pilgrims to identify our parish for those back home and we were excited to be interviewed by Channel 7 after the Mass.
Another highlight was our visit to the tomb of Blessed James Alberione, the founder of the Pauline Family including the Pastorelle Sisters who have been at Payneham since 1983. Our pilgrimage concluded with two days in Assisi which enabled pilgrims to visit the sites connected to the life of St Francis and reflect on the experience in a quiet and peaceful setting.
We were privileged to celebrate Mass at the church where Blessed Carlo Acutis is buried and we prayed for the students of St Joseph’s Payneham who recently opened a new building in his honour.
A tourist passes through places, but pilgrims let places pass through them and allow their hearts to be changed from the experience. Our pilgrims gained new insights about themselves and others along the journey and are conscious that they will be returning home different people.
Fr Michael Romeo is parish priest of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Payneham.
