Dear Friends,

Greetings from the friars of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation!

The theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” aligns with the broader focus of the Synod and Pope Francis’ proclaiming a Jubilee Year, Jubilee 2025 (December 24, 2024, to December 14, 2025). The Jubilee Year emphasizes the theological virtue of hope, which is central to Christian life and spirituality. This theme encourages a reflection on how hope can be a personal and communal journey, like a pilgrimage, where individuals and communities are called to embody and share hope through their actions and ministries.

“And after the Lord gave me some brothers, no one showed me what I had to do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the pattern of the Holy Gospel.” (Testament, St. Francis of Assisi)

St. Francis of Assisi, guided by divine inspiration, is called to live according to the Gospel, a Christian’s ultimate source of hope. St. Francis’ life can be seen as a pilgrimage of hope, where he followed the path laid out by the Gospel, bringing hope to others through his life of simplicity, humility, service to the most vulnerable, and love for all creation.

As the Church approaches Jubilee 2025, everyone is invited to consider how they are called to be “pilgrims of hope” and “signs of hope.”

“[May] the Lord bless you and keep you. May He show His face to you and have mercy. May He turn His countenance to you and give you peace. The Lord bless you!” (Blessing of St. Francis to Brother Leo)

Sincerely in Christ and St. Francis,

Fr. John Elmer OFM Conv.
Spiritual Director

Pilgrims of Hope

By Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv. Each Jubilee Year is a celebration of God’s mercy stretched out over a calendar year. God’s mercy is constant and always available, but we are not always mindful of that mercy. The Church, through sacraments and sacramentals, has a variety of ways of inviting us to…
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Franciscan Pilgrimage in Ireland: A Journey of Faith, Family, and Hope

Embarking on a Franciscan pilgrimage through Ireland is a profound experience that combines spiritual renewal with a deep connection to the rich history and natural beauty of the Emerald Isle. As a pilgrim traveling in a country where I have family, the journey takes on an even deeper significance, blending faith with…
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Hope: An Impossible Virtue?

By friar Wayne Hellmann, OFM Conv. Catastrophic heating and attacks on nature ever increase. Systems devour the vulnerable: the unhoused, refugees, victims of human trafficking, and the many others who are caught in underfunded, and many times, understaffed foster care systems, hospitals, group homes, and prisons. On the other hand, corporate monopolies…
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Hope & Healing on the Border

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. -Hebrews 7:19 Friar Jarek Wysoczański, OFM Conv., has dedicated his life to serving the poor and those on the margins. A native of Poland, friar Jarek has served in our missions in Peru and Africa, and he continues this…
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“Do Whatever He Tells You”

A custom for us at the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio, has been to pray a novena in preparation for the Feast of the Assumption on August 15. During these nine days we ask our Blessed Mother for her intercession to Jesus, her Son. We also invite a…
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The Road Less Traveled

In late 2019, I received an invitation from the former Zambian Minister of Health to come to Zambia and visit a couple of the bush hospitals. He heard from one of the friars that I was a nurse practitioner and was interested in both the role and how we (students and faculty)…
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Jubilee 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope

A Jubilee Year “is a year of forgiveness of sins and the punishment due to sin; it is a year of reconciliation between adversaries [and] of conversion. A Jubilee Year is above all the year of Christ, who brings life and grace to humanity. “ -(From the website of the Holy See.)…
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