Pilgrims entering the Holy Doors: A Sacred Sign of the Jubilee Year

BY JENNIFER MIELE
Chief Development Officer

ROME – One of the most profound and sacred signs of the Jubilee Year is the act of pilgrimage when faithful from around the world walk in prayerful procession through the Holy Doors of the major basilicas in Rome. This deeply symbolic act is far more than a ritual; it is a visible testament to Christ Himself, who proclaimed, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved” (John 10:9).

The Holy Door becomes a powerful sign of conversion, a threshold between the brokenness of sin and the abundant mercy of God. Through it, the Church invites all to rediscover the path of reconciliation, healing and new life in Christ.

“The purpose of Holy Doors in the life of the church is to remind us that we are called to pass from death to life through the death and resurrection of Jesus,” said Vincent Reilly, Managing Director of Faith, Family and Discipleship. “Each of the Holy Doors is particularly decorated to remind us to remind us of a particular aspect of the mystery of faith that Christ gives to us.”

Kate Parkinson, from the Office of the Bishop, coordinated the official pilgrimage walk in Rome, where pilgrims carried a cross and approached the Holy Doors of Saint Peter’s Basilica with hearts full of intercession and praise.

“It’s a deeply moving and beautiful moment,” Parkinson said while on the Diocesan pilgrimage in March and April. “As we walk together, we unite our prayers with those of the whole Church, those here in Rome and those praying with us from home. We carry with us the intentions of so many faithful. I brought along the book containing all the prayer requests that have been entrusted to us. Each step, each prayer, each tear is offered in union with the Cross of Christ, especially during this Jubilee Year of Hope.”

Bishop Larry J. Kulick led the pilgrims through the Holy Door at the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, the Mother Church of the entire Catholic world.

“As I pass through this sacred threshold,” Bishop Kulick said during the pilgrimage, “I carry with me our Diocesan pilgrimage cross, a smaller version of the cross that rests in our cathedral. This is the same cross that marked the beginning of our Diocesan jubilee celebrations on the Feast of the Holy Family. Embedded at its center is soil taken from each of the four counties that make up the Diocese of Greensburg, a visible sign of the faithful people I shepherd and their deep yearning for God.”

Father Christopher J. Pujol, Episcopal Master of Ceremonies, Parochial Vicar of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Parish and Director of the Office of Worship, explained the spiritual gravity of this moment.

“One of the great tasks and blessings of the Jubilee Year is to make a true pilgrimage to pass through the Holy Door in a state of grace, having received the Sacrament of Reconciliation,” Father Pujol said. “By doing so, the faithful can receive a plenary indulgence, a tangible experience of God’s mercy. Just as Christ passed from death into new life, we too are

invited to pass through the door of mercy, leaving behind sin and walking forward as renewed sons and daughters of God.”

As pilgrims cross the threshold of these sacred doors, they do so in faith, trust and hope.