Teresa Peterson, Director of Diocesan Information and Communications, recently participated in a pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee Year. She reflects on this experience below.

My pilgrimage led me to places of incredible beauty that are sacred and significant I participated in the opening Mass of the Jubilee for Communicators at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. This is the oldest church in Rome and a magnificent structure with a stunning mosaic of Jesus and the saints in heaven, marble statues of the twelve apostles, and a golden ceiling of intricate shapes.  I also participated in Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica. This is also a glorious church, the largest in the world. It contains so much beautiful artwork; it lights up the soul. I walked through the Holy Door into St. Peter’s and contemplated the reality of my life.  I am a sinner in need God’s forgiveness and Jesus is the door to mercy. I felt a strong emotion just moments after I walked through the door. Even though we needed to move through quickly as hundreds of people were waiting in line, I reached out my hand to touch the door and made the sign of the cross.

My pilgrimage started on January 22nd when I arrived in Rome for a seminar on Communications and Evangelization at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. This gathering had 600 participants from 60 countries who serve the Church in some facet of communication. During three days of sessions, we heard from prominent experts in various fields, such as evangelization, art, Catholic Social Teaching, streaming, social media, videography, and social science. We reflected on how to communicate hope during this Jubilee of Hope and how to share the Gospel with relevance and credibility. 

We also prayed quietly with Jesus during Adoration at the church next to the university campus. We were each given a lighted candle. I held my candle in the darkened church and stared at its bright flame. Our candles and the candles on the altar next to the monstrance holding our Eucharistic Lord were the only sources of light. We heard a reading from the Gospel about how our light must shine before others to give glory to God.

I thought about the darkness of the world that we hear about in the news. Then I felt joy in knowing that the light of Christ is brighter and more powerful than the darkness. In the modern world, we are bombarded by news of war, conflict, and violence. We have many opportunities to curse the darkness. Yet, we can also light a candle in prayer.  In this way, we turn to our Lord Jesus Christ when we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders. Jesus is the source of peace that surpasses all understanding. Jesus is the Light of the World and the hope of the world.

In that moment surrounded by candles, and in the moments of my pilgrimage that followed, the hope of Christ took hold of my heart in a special way. I thank God that I was able to represent the Diocese of Saint Petersburg at the seminar and the Jubilee and that God has called me to be a Pilgrim of Hope. As I continue the journey of life, I will draw upon this hope and find ways to bring hope to others. This is my prayer and hope!

To read the pope’s message for communicators for 2025, with the theme, “Share with Gentleness the Hope that is in Your Hearts,” click here.