ST. JOHN – In the midst of a country facing deep divisions, hundreds gathered to celebrate Independence Day a week early at St. John the Evangelist and The Shrine of Christ’s Passion on June 28 for a Year of Jubilee event entitled, “Pilgrims of Hope and Freedom.”
This is the second year The Shrine, SJE and the Diocese of Gary came together to celebrate Independence Day through the eyes of faith. In 2024, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Marian Route passed through Northwest Indiana during the first week of July, drawing thousands to publicly witness to the truth of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.
Following the success of the July 4, 2024 program at The Shrine of Christ’s Passion, local leaders wanted to capitalize on the opportunity to bring people together through the common ground of faith and celebrating freedom.
The 2025 event began with a vigil Mass for the Solemnity of Ss. Peter and Paul, where Most Rev. Robert J. McClory reminded those gathered that “the (Catholic) faith is not a fairytale.”
“We don't just read about the early Church in the Bible,” the bishop said, “We have accounts of the impact that the Christians had and the persecutions that they suffered.”
Unlike the saints in the early Church, Bishop McClory reminded the congregation that in the United States there is religious freedom, a right that brings with it the responsibility to pass along the saving message of the Gospel. “We can be so timid and reserved with just sharing the basics of the faith with somebody because saying, ‘I'm a Christian’ or ‘I'm a Catholic,’ brings a little bit of scorn. In these days (of Ss. Peter and Paul), it brought death.”
Following Mass, the diverse crowd participated in a Eucharistic procession from St. John the Evangelist down to Guadalupe Plaza at The Shrine of Christ’s Passion. There, the Blessed Sacrament was placed on an outdoor altar for adoration while Father Rocky Hoffman and Bishop McClory led Relevant Radio’s “Family Rosary Across America.”
Father Rocky invited members of the crowd to approach a microphone and share their prayer intentions before each decade of the Rosary. Members of the faithful requested prayers for their own struggles, for their loved ones, for the deceased and for peace and an end to war.
“Every day it seems like there is another story about an accident or something horrible happening,” said Pat Jablonski, of St. Helen in Hebron. “When the little girl asked us to pray for all of the people dying in war, I thought of how easy it is to take for granted things like safety and religious freedom. It really touched me to be in the presence of Jesus in that moment.”
As the sun set behind Our Lady of Guadalupe Plaza, Bishop McClory led Benediction to end the time of formal prayer and the crowd shifted into a more festive mode, with the worship team from St. John the Evangelist providing live music. Food trucks and the parish’s youth group provided food and drinks before a fireworks and drone show.
Tony Sikorski, of Valparaiso, and Allison Tor,of Homewood, Ill., attended the event because they are hoping to grow closer to Jesus and Catholicism through their relationship. Looking for something to do together to help them get more involved in their faith, Sikorski came across an ad for the “Pilgrims of Hope and Freedom” event.
“People need faith,” Sikorski said. “They shouldn’t let politics divide them or prevent them from being able to come together.”
“God and faith should be above all else,” Tor agreed.
Caption: Father Rocky Hoffman and Bishop McClory lead Relevant Radio’s “Family Rosary Across America” on June 28 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Plaza at The Shrine of Christ’s Passion as part of the “Pilgrims of Hope and Freedom” Year of Jubilee event. (Cecilia Cicone photo)
