A “passport” booklet, being used as part of the Diocese of Owensboro’s Jubilee of Hope celebration across its six pilgrimage sites, is seen opened to a page with the diocesan map and other information to help local pilgrims participate in the jubilee, in this Feb. 20 photo. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
Passport is guide through Jubilee of Hope 2025 pilgrimage sites
BY ANDY TELLI, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
For the Jubilee of Hope 2025, Bishop William F. Medley has designated six pilgrimage sites around the Diocese of Owensboro, Ky., where people can visit, pray, and obtain a plenary indulgence to be spared the temporal punishment for sins.
To aid those who visit one, two, three, or even all six of the pilgrimage sites, the diocesan communications office has published a passport filled with information about how to participate in the jubilee, how to obtain a plenary indulgence, and details on each of the pilgrimage sites, as well as other resources.
“It was a way to engage the community,” Rachel Hall, director of communications for the diocese, said of the passport.
The six pilgrimage sites make a broad loop through western Kentucky and include:
St. Stephen Cathedral, 610 Locust St., Owensboro
St. Romuald Parish, 394 N. Highway 259, Hardinsburg
Holy Redeemer Parish, 107 13th St., Beaver Dam
Diocesan Shrine of Mary at St. Joseph Parish, 434 Church Ave., Bowling Green
St. Leo Parish, 401 N. 12th St., Murray
St. Francis de Sales Parish, S. 116 Sixth St., Paducah
“There are a lot of beautiful parishes in our diocese, and this is good reason to go see them,” Hall said. “It can be challenging to get from one end of the diocese to the other. It takes an event like this for people to venture out.”
At each of the pilgrimage sites, people can pick up English and Spanish jubilee prayer cards and a copy of the passport, which is also available in English or Spanish. In the passport is information about how to connect more deeply to the spiritual life during the jubilee, including Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the jubilee year itself.
Each site has an exclusive stamp that is themed according to that respective site, such as a lion stamp for St. Leo and a book stamp for St. Francis de Sales, the patron of writers. If visitors get all six pages stamped at the different sites, they can receive a free tote bag from the diocese by emailing photos of the stamped passport to [email protected] or uploading photos by visiting https://tinyurl.com/oborohope.
Related
Pilgrimage sites offer a journey through diversity of the diocese
Originally printed in the April 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
