Over 100 Catholics from over 40 different Archdiocese of Toronto parishes will join Cardinal Francis Leo for a Jubilee Pilgrimage to Rome from Nov. 10 to 17.

“It was the wish of his Eminence, and the wish of our (archdiocesan) Jubilee committee, that we involve as many different parishes, lay groups and associations as we can in the pilgrimage," said committee chair Fr. Tim Hanley. “One of the great aspects of excitement for us is that it looks to be a great and diverse group coming with us.”

One of the expected highlights for the pilgrims will be observing Leo formally “take possession” of his titular church, Santa Maria Della Salute, on Nov. 15. Every member of the cardinalate is named the symbolic head of a house of worship in the Eternal City.

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“It's good for us to join the Italian parishioners of that parish in thanking God for that gift and supporting our Archbishop as we come to Rome,” said Hanley. “We've invited the resident Canadian cardinals and a number of our Canadian priests studying in Rome to join us for that special Mass and event.”

A jam-packed schedule is also highlighted by the Canadian sojourners entering the Holy Door of St. Peter’s, St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Wall, and experiencing Mass, led by Leo, inside these major papal basilicas. Pilgrims will also experience the St. John Lateran Basilica Holy Door.

Quoting the late Pope John II, Hanley said opening the Holy Doors in Rome is “crossing the threshold into a new world of hope.”  He expressed hope that each pilgrim will be animated by a desire to move their heart “even deeper in union with Christ and deeper in probing the hope that Christ gives us.”

Passing through the Holy Doors is also deemed spiritually significant because the Vatican decreed Catholics visiting Rome during the Jubilee Year may receive a plenary indulgence by visiting at least one of the aforementioned papal basilicas. The usual conditions of detachment from all sin, undergoing sacramental confession, celebrating the Eucharist and praying for the Pope’s intentions must also be upheld.

There will be two opportunities for the group to behold Pope Leo XIV: the first is the pontiff’s weekly Wednesday general audience on Nov. 12 in St. Peter’s Square, and the second is the Eucharistic Celebration for the Jubilee of the Poor on Nov. 16 in St. Peter’s Basilica.

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In his role as a spiritual guide on this pilgrimage, Hanley said he will encourage each member of the group to be mindful of two things while participating in the Jubilee of the Poor.

“One is (their) own outreach to the poor,” said Hanley. “The other is interiorly: what areas of my life am I myself in spiritual poverty that I need to hand over to the Lord and ask Him to embrace, heal and deepen my trust in His presence?”

A day after many of the pilgrims will observe the Bishop of Rome for the first time, they will venture, on Nov. 13, into the Sistine Chapel, the setting where 133 cardinal electors chose Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago to become the 265th successor of St. Peter. The Greater Toronto Area Catholics will also tour the Vatican Museums.

A Nov. 14 visit to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, is also expected to be a standout memory of this pilgrimage. Expected stops include the Basilica of St. Francis, the Chapel of the Crucifix, the Basilica of Santa Chiara, Convento Chiesa Nuova and the tomb of St. Carlo Acutis.

“Assisi has its own wonderful sense,” said Hanley. “It's more of a village than a city. It gives off that sense of the simplicity of St. Francis’ life. It just has a whole ambiance.”

Preceding the installation Mass at Santa Maria Della Salute on Nov. 15, the tour group is scheduled to navigate the Catacombs of San Calisto, the official cemetery for the Church in Rome in the third century. An estimated 500,000 Christians are buried on these grounds, including 16 popes.

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Drawing on past experience, Hanley and his colleagues on the pilgrimage leadership team anticipate the odd disruption here and there, especially with such a large assemblage. He wants the group to be open to the whole journey, including the hindrances.

“A pilgrimage is going to be messy,” said Hanley. “There's going to be a hundred people moving around in different groups and trying to account for the lost sheep. So, there are going to be moments of frustration, but even they can be moments of grace.”