By Katie Vasquez and Paula Katinas
ASTORIA — Felicity Morel is about to embark on a summer trip to Rome, and like most travelers, she is busy deciding what to pack in her suitcase. However, unlike most, she is not a tourist, and her journey to the Eternal City is not a sightseeing trip.
Felicity, 17, a parishioner of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Astoria, is one of 87 young people from the Diocese of Brooklyn who are taking part in a pilgrimage to Rome to be led by Bishop Robert Brennan.
Part of a year-long series of celebrations for the 2025 Jubilee, the Jubilee of Young People will take place from July 28 to Aug. 3.
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And excitement among the diocese’s pilgrims is building.
“I think I’m really excited to get away from the States, but also have this experience that I feel I’ve always wanted since I was a kid — going to the Vatican,” Felicity said. “I think that’s always been a dream of mine.”
On July 18, Felicity and other young people gathered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Astoria to enjoy a celebratory barbecue and to learn more about the upcoming pilgrimage.
According to Dayonel Mejia, the church’s youth co-minister, the pilgrims from Our Lady of Mount Carmel are able to make the trip, which costs approximately $5,000 per person, thanks to fundraising efforts from food sales and raffles, as well as generous donations from benefactors.
Most of the 13 pilgrims making the journey are active in the church’s youth group or are altar servers, Mejia said. He is looking forward to serving as a chaperone.
“I think it’s a huge privilege for me … being able to help them jumpstart their faith journey at such a young age. It’s just an amazing privilege to be a part of,” he said.
The July 18 gathering included a quick lesson for the young people from Mejia on what to pack, in addition to clothes, for the pilgrimage. For example, he instructed them to pack adapters so they could charge their cell phones, as well as ponchos, in case the Eternal City is struck by rain.
The pilgrimage has all the makings of a memorable spiritual journey for the young participants who hail from several churches in the diocese, including Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Astoria, the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg, St. Mary Gate of Heaven Church in South Ozone Park, St. Pancras Church in Glendale, the Basilica of Regina Pacis in Bensonhurst, St. Brigid Church in Bushwick, and St. Athanasius Church in Bensonhurst.
One church in the Archdiocese of New York, St. John Chrysostom in the Bronx, New York, is also sending a group on the pilgrimage being led by Bishop Brennan.
The diocese’s contingent will participate in many of the events associated with the Jubilee for Youth, as well as enrich themselves with other sights and sounds that are sure to help them grow closer to their faith, Mejia said.
One excursion the group has planned is to Assisi, where they intend to visit the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the late Italian teenager who Pope Leo XIV will canonize on Sept. 7.
The pilgrims will also visit the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as other cathedrals in Rome. And on Aug. 2, they will walk to the University of Rome Tor Vergata, where Pope Leo will lead an overnight vigil with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, and prayers. The Holy Father will celebrate the closing Mass of the Jubilee the following day at the same location.
The overnight vigil is one thing Felicity is looking forward to the most.
“I think that’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said. “I think you don’t really get to have overnight vigils, at least I haven’t ever been, so I think that’s a really cool experience, especially with the new pope. And I’m super excited.”
While a few of the pilgrims eagerly talked about wanting to see the Vatican and other places, Azel Bermejo, 18, had a different take on the itinerary.
“I’m going to be honest with you, I haven’t seen it. I kind of want it all to be a surprise,” he explained. “When I get there, I see it all, and I’m surprised.”
The Jubilee might have another benefit, said Mejia, who noted that it could encourage young people to stay active in church past the age (post-confirmation) when many fall away from religion.
“I think there’s the statistic that after confirmation, church attendance and just church participation really drops off,” he explained. “So being able to offer them these kinds of experiences are really just little gems and little refueling points for them. It’s just such an amazing thing for us to be able to offer to them.”
The Catholic Church celebrates a jubilee approximately once every 25 years, with the last one taking place in 2000.
In 2022, the late Pope Francis declared 2025 to be a Jubilee Year, announced the theme would be “Pilgrims of Hope,” and invited the world’s Catholics to embark on pilgrimages to Rome, repent for their sins, and deepen their faith.
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Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishioner Marco Valley, 17, said he is eager to see the Vatican with his own eyes.
“I’ve seen it in pictures and videos,” he added. “But I feel like it’s going to be way different when I’m there in person.”
