MERRILLVILLE - St. Mary Major Basilica, St. Peter's Square for the Papal Audience with Pope Leo, the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs are just a few sites on the itinerary of the Diocese of Gary Jubilee Pilgrimage to Italy, Sept. 25-Oct. 3. Bishop Robert J. McClory will be leading the trip along with Father Nathaniel Edquist as they take with them the prayers of the Diocese of Gary to Rome.
Bishop McClory shared that leading up to the pilgrimage, he has been reflecting more on the role of the Holy Angels, especially as that is one of the anchors of the pilgrimage. He referenced that the Diocese of Gary celebrates its feast day, the Feast Day of the Guardian Angels, during that time on Oct. 2.
“I've had a deeper awareness, a desire, for our guardian angels to accompany us on pilgrimage and to accompany all the faithful of the Diocese of Gary throughout their lives,” he said. “I've also reflected on the archangels – St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael – as we will also celebrate their feast day (Sept. 29) while in Rome.”
The bishop added he has been praying for the pilgrims who will be going with him and has also been collecting special prayer intentions from his interactions with those around the diocese. While he may not be able to respond directly to every prayer request, he does plan to bring those intentions gathered through dcgary.org/intentions.
In addition to spiritual means of preparation, there are also a few practical ways Bishop McClory is preparing for the pilgrimage.
Bishop McClory said he tends to favor creating a packing list for his travels, which has changed a little over time. For example, he expects that when the diocesan pilgrims attend the pope’s Wednesday audience, he will have an opportunity to personally greet the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. Therefore, he has packed an additional cassock and other elements for that occasion.
“He knows our diocese, so that's a good thing,” he said. “For a time, he was weekend help at one of our parishes in Hammond, so he knows who we are. My intention is to say, ‘I bring greetings and prayers from the people of the Diocese of Gary. And we love you, and we're lifting you up in prayer.’ He's a good listener, but I will also need to remember that I should be quiet and see if there’s anything he says to me. But I just want to let him know of our love and support.”
Bishop McClory lived in Rome for five years while studying there, and since he was ordained a priest 26 years ago, has been to Rome approximately 10 times. Most recently, he was there after World Youth Day in Portugal and while attending the Annual Course of Formation for New Bishops a few years ago. Bishop McClory serves on the board of the Pontifical North American College, where the diocese currently has two seminarians attending – Gianni DiTola and Ryan Pierce – and hopes to connect with them while in Rome.
Bishop McClory said he has also been praying about what the Lord might have for him that's new, not new things to see, but new graces to receive. He noted the pilgrimage will begin in Assisi, Italy, the home of the newly canonized St. Carlo Acutis.
“I've always gone to Assisi with a heart planted by love for St. Francis and St. Claire, and now I'm delighted to be able to have the opportunity to pray before the tomb of Carlos Acutis, and particularly to pray for our young people there,” he said.
Bishop McClory said he was privileged to meet Pope Francis on three occasions. This upcoming pilgrimage to Rome will be the first time he has been there since the pontiff’s death in April. He made a special modification to the itinerary to visit the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, to pray where Pope Francis is entombed.
“I wanted to make sure we were able to offer Mass there,” he said. “I will be able to reflect on my gratitude for his ministry. He's the one who named me a bishop. He's the one who greeted me warmly on the occasions that I met him. I really wanted to make sure that I pray for him there.”
The total size of the pilgrimage group is 40 people. About a third have been to Italy before, but for the vast majority, this is their first experience in the country. Bishop McClory said those who visit Rome for the first time are often struck by the beauty of the churches and the history behind them.
“It’s connecting all of us to the earliest apostles,” he said. “There is nothing like going into St. Peter's Basilica for the first time. There's nothing like seeing its size and being in St. Peter's Square for the first time, because you've seen it on television and looked at it in books for years, and you suddenly realize it's really real, and it's really beautiful, and I'm so glad I'm a Catholic.”
Beyond the physical beauty of churches, Bishop McClory remarked that those on the pilgrimage will have an opportunity to witness the Church as the people of God. Especially during the Jubilee Year of Hope, he noted there will be pilgrims from all around the world in Rome.
“Sometimes we can think of the Catholic Church, which means universal, as the local diocese in which I grew up, or my local parish down the street. To be in the Vatican, particularly during a papal audience, you'll hear about 15 different languages and see every kind of age and ethnicity and background. Suddenly, you get a sense of the universality of the Church.”
Bishop McClory pointed out that the jubilee year the Church is currently celebrating extends not only to those who can physically go to Rome. Everyone can participate. The Diocese of Gary has identified places, in every deanery and geographical area due to their historical connection or their status, as pilgrimage sites. The list of the six local locations are available at dcgary.org/NWIjubilee.
“There is still certainly time in the jubilee year for individuals locally to make those pilgrimages,” he said. “We have some beautiful places to pilgrimage within the Diocese of Gary.”
Bishop McClory said his hope is that those who experience the pilgrimage will be able to share the message of hope as they return and continue to do so beyond the Jubilee Year of Hope.
“We need hope,” he said. “Hope is more than optimism. Optimism is being upbeat and thinking the best, which is good, but hope is more than that. Hope is about saying, ‘I have certitude that the Lord's goodness will prevail over whatever I see in the world right now that may be dark and dreary.”
Bishop McClory acknowledged that people are incarnational with bodies that move, live, breathe and get tired. He explained that sometimes the faithful can think of their life of prayer as purely a mental exercise, a place in their hearts, but a pilgrimage “can be a reminder that we are people on the move.”
“When you are on the move, going to a holy site, that very act of moving forward, of being on that journey itself, is part of the prayer,” he said. “The beautiful thing about a pilgrimage is that journey towards, not just the holy site, but ultimately it's a journey towards life everlasting with Christ.”
Caption: Bishop Robert J. McClory stands in St. Peter’s Square before the beatification Mass for Pope John Paul I on Sept. 4, 2022. (Provided photo)
