Fr. Marc Bryan Adona, SSS
February 3, 2025
Italy
Pope Francis has announced that 2025 will be a year of Jubilee, an event that happens every 25 years. The theme for the upcoming Jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope”. The 2025 Jubilee will begin in Advent 2024 and run until the Feast of the Epiphany in 2026.
What is a Jubilee?
Taking place every 25 years, a Jubilee year is a tradition that is recognized and respected throughout the world as being a significant part of the history of our faith. Excluding the Extraordinary Year of Mercy in 2015, the last Jubilee year took place in 2000, marking an historic moment as the Church entered into her third millennium.
A Jubilee is a special year of grace in which the Catholic Church offers the faithful the possibility of asking for a plenary indulgence – a remission of sins for themselves or deceased loved ones.
The year begins with the well-known custom of the opening of the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica, following the other three papal basilicas in Rome. Embark on a Pilgrimage to Rome in 2025 for the Jubilee Year. Join a Pilgrimage to Rome with the Shrines of St. Padre Pio and St. Francis of Assisi with Fr. Marc Bryan Adona, SSS, on February 3-14, 2025.
Begin your pilgrimage with a 5-night stay in the beautiful city of Rome. Home of Popes and Saints, the cradle of Christianity and also of Western civilization, a visit to Rome is the dream of every pilgrim. Visit the major sites, shrines, and basilicas of Rome, including the four major basilicas, and pass through the holy doors of St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran, and Sta. Maria Maggiore. A highlight of your visit is the opportunity to attend the Papal Audience with Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
Travel from Rome to Manoppello, where you will visit and attend mass at the Santuario del Volto Santo (Shrine of the Holy Face). The church houses a linen cloth that depicts the face of Jesus Christ. Proceed to San Giovanni Rotondo, the home of Saint Padre Pio. Take a look at the cell where St. Padre Pio lived and died. See the crucifix in Santa Maria delle Grazie Church, the Church of Our Lady of Grace, where he received the stigmata. Offer prayers in front of his incorrupt body, displayed in a part-glass coffin at the Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (sometimes referred to as Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church).
Make your way to Mont Sant’ Angelo to visit the grotto that is home to the Sanctuary of St. Michael the Archangel (Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo), a hollowed cave where the Archangel Michael is said to have appeared and dedicated the shrine. After that, travel to Lanciano to see the Eucharistic Miracle, which has been miraculously preserved in a monstrance in the Church of St. Legontian since the eighth century.
Visit the Basilica of the Holy House in Loreto, a shrine believed to be the home of the Holy Family and the place where Our Blessed Mother was conceived and born. Pious devotees hold that the same house was transported by angelic beings from Nazareth to Dalmatia (modern-day Croatia). Then, in 1924, the house was moved once more, this time to the Italian hilltop town of Loreto. See the Monastery and Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, a minor basilica that houses the incorrupt body of St. Rita, and attend mass there when you travel to Cascia.
Wind down your pilgrimage with a two-night stay in Assisi, a medieval city built on a hill and the home of St. Francis, the founder of the Franciscan Order. The sublime city of Assisi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In particular, the Basilica di San Francesco, which houses the tomb of St. Francis, is considered a masterpiece.
For the Jubilee Year 2025, the Holy Doors remain open for pilgrims to walk through and receive the Jubilee indulgence. Be a Pilgrim of Hope in 2025. Join a Pilgrimage to Rome with the Shrines of St. Padre Pio and St. Francis of Assisi with Fr. Marc Bryan Adona, SSS, on February 3-14, 2025. May this pilgrimage be an opportunity to deepen your faith, receive blessings, and receive universal pardon.
• Passport with six (6) months validity from the date of departure
• One (1) Visa Application Form
• Two (2) pcs. passport-size pictures
• Original Bank Certificate (both Pesos and/or US Dollars) – must include account type, current balance, account opening, and six (6) months average
• Original or certified true copy of Bank Statement for the last (3) months
• Affidavit of Support and Consent (signed and notarized by the sponsor if financially incapable)
• If married, copy of Authenticated Marriage Contract
• Copy of hotel voucher (to be supplied by ERI)
• Photocopy of International Credit Cards (if available)
• Travel Insurance with a minimum coverage of Php2.5 Million (valid for 30 days)
If employed:
• Employment Certificate – must be in company’s letterhead and must include the applicant’s position, date hired, compensation, and company’s address, telephone number, and email address
• Certificate of Compensation 2316
If in business:
• Original and Photocopy of Business Registration, DTI or SEC
• Original and Photocopy of Latest Income Tax Return
• Personal appearance by the applicant
• Processing Time: 15 – 30 days
* Subject to change without prior notice!
1) A US$ 500.00 non-refundable deposit is required upon reservation together with a photocopy of a passport (valid for 6 months from date of departure) and Pilgrim’s Profile with a passport-size photo plus the visa fee and travel insurance payment.
2) Full payment in U.S. dollars is required before ticketing but in no case shall it be later than one month before the departure date.
3) The following cancellation charges will apply:
> 60 days before departure date – US$ 300.00
> 45 days before departure date – 50% of the Tour Cost
> 30 days prior to departure date – Full tour cost will be forfeited.
> $300 Admin Fee for any visa denial.
BASIC TOUR COST DOES NOT INCLUDE: Visa fees and documentation expenses, insurance, hospitalization and other medical expenses, tours and transportation during free periods, porterage of extra pieces of luggage in excess of maximum allocation, drinks and beverages taken during meals, items of personal nature such as laundry, telephone, fax, room service, and other expenses not mentioned in the itinerary terms and conditions.
EXECUTIVE RESOURCES, INC. has arranged for the various tour services to be performed under the responsibility of various contractors. Executive Resources, Inc., its employees or its subagents therefore only act as agents for the contractors providing the various services described in the tour and accept no responsibility or liability in connection with losses or accidental expenses due to delays of schedule, overbooking, defaults or “force majeure”. All tours and arrangements are subject to the general conditions specified by each contractor. Tour itineraries and prices are subject to change without prior notice. When making a tour booking, the passenger acknowledges and accepts the foregoing conditions.