Join our Holy Year pilgrimage

More than a year ago, the staff of The Evangelist agreed to tackle what would become a massive project: taking more than 250 pilgrims from locations around the Albany Diocese, flying them across the Atlantic, and guiding them around Rome, Italy, in a Jubilee Year visit to the center of Christendom.

The effort, we knew, would require intricate planning, dozens of mailings and meetings, complex scheduling, and answering hundreds of questions and concerns. But we thought it was worth the extra effort and time because of the once-in-a-lifetime nature of marking a Holy Year in the second millennium of Christ's birth. After all, this chance had not occurred in ten centuries and will not happen again for another 1,000 years.

All of the planning (supervised by circulation director Mary Breig while she continued her usual duties) resulted in a successful trip that ended last week for the participants; but readers of this week's issue can go along to St. Peter's Basilica, attend an audience with Pope John Paul II and visit St. Francis' Assisi by turning to our center section. There, assistant editor Kate Blain's articles, Dave Oxford's photographs and Bishop Howard J. Hubbard's diary re-create the sights, sounds, feelings and faith of the pilgrimage.

In an e-mail received earlier this week, one of the pilgrims expressed her emotions about the trip: "I am writing to express my deep gratitude to Bishop Hubbard and my fellow pilgrims from the Albany Diocese for sharing of themselves with prayers and love. All the priests and religious that we journeyed with, together with the laity, made this pilgrimage truly a spiritual and holy experience. We are thankful to The Evangelist for helping with the planning of the trip, but most of all to Bishop Hubbard for his tireless and loving sharing of himself in the celebrations of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Penance, and the awesome experiences we shared in the many holy places we visited. We learned so much about the history of our faith; and, on a personal level, I feel I learned more about myself and my faith journey."

All year, we have offered weekly coverage of the Jubilee Year. As it comes to its close, we bring you this special coverage as one more way for you to take part in this unique and spiritual moment. Come along to Rome!

(11-02-00)

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