
On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis will open the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to begin the Jubilee Year of 2025, a once in 25-years event. The theme of this Jubilee is “Pilgrim of Hope,” which in its very name extends an invitation to us to journey to the Holy City to experience this joyous, hope-filled event in person.
But for those of us who can’t make it to Rome to visit the Vatican or walk to the Seven Churches, I have another idea: Let’s take a pilgrimage around the Archdiocese of Louisville to meet the people and see the places that inspire hope right here at home.
Places like Catholic Charities’ Sister Visitor Center in west Louisville, where a committed team of staff and volunteers serve the needs of people who live in the area. This is an area where the life expectancy is 15 years shorter than it is for residents of east Jefferson County, according to the Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness.
Or to our Father Jack Jones Food Pantry on South Third Street near Churchill Downs, which serves our hungry neighbors living in an area that has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in Kentucky. Or to one of the 185 long-term care facilities our team of ombudsman visit to represent the rights and dignity of the elderly and infirm.
Like hope itself, as St. Paul promised, these experiences will not disappoint.
In each of our daily journeys, we encounter people who are discouraged, afraid or cynical about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness. Theirs is a kind of hope that’s not so dreamy, but rather, based on worry:
- I hope they don’t shut off my electricity tonight.
- I hope I have enough to feed my kids tomorrow.
- I hope I can keep my family together.
- I hope someone visits me, or will I always be alone?
For all of us, the Jubilee year is an opportunity to renew our capacity to hope, and to instill hope in those beside us who are struggling.
This Christmas, we invite you on a pilgrimage to put people’s worries to rest. With your support of Catholic Charities’ Year-End Appeal, and active participation in our mission throughout the new year, we can help people get through times of crisis, develop their skills and walk alongside them as they work toward self-sufficiency. We can lift people up; we can bring them hope.
God’s word helps us find reasons to have hope even in these toughest of times: “We boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (Rom 5:3-4)
You see, sometimes hope is all someone needs to keep going, to keep working, to optimistically look forward to their life ahead. That, in and of itself, is an honorable journey. One that doesn’t require a ticket to Rome.
Lisa DeJaco Crutcher is the Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities of Louisville.