Bringing Rome Home

By Matthew Himes

At the end of July, directly after a packed yet incredibly fulfilling week of fun with our high school teens at Life Teen’s Camp Covecrest in Tiger, Georgia, I got on a plane to fly directly to Rome. I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend eight days in Rome to participate in the Jubilee of Young Adults with a group of over twenty other young adults coming from various Marianist backgrounds from across the United States – primarily from the University of Dayton as well as from the San Antonio and Honolulu areas.

This Jubilee of Young Adults was a part of the 2025 “Pilgrims of Hope” Jubilee Year declared by Pope Francis in December, and it gathered over one million young adults from across the world to have an opportunity to have dialogue with one another and participate in Vatican programming together for the Jubilee. Above all, this experience instilled a vibrant hope in my life - both a personal hope as I continue to navigate my own spiritual life and my own future beyond my undergraduate studies at the University of Dayton, but also an immensely increased sense of hope for the future of the Catholic Church and the active role that we as young people are called to play in it.

Some highlights of the Jubilee programming included a group pilgrimage into St. Peter’s basilica, an opening Mass in St. Peter’s square, and a Sunday Mass with over one million people from across the world celebrated by Pope Leo XIV. In addition to this Jubilee programming, our group also had the wonderful opportunities to explore the city of Assisi, visit many cultural and spiritual sites around Rome, and gather as a group of over 200 Marianist young adults from across the world to share our own experiences with one another and grow in understanding of the Maranists in a global context. Having the opportunity to share in all this Jubilee with others from around the world is an experience that I will truly cherish for the rest of my life. Despite individuals coming from different places with varying languages, cultures, and backgrounds, there was an overwhelming sense of unity amongst all gathered because of the faith we hold in common. This unity brings me hope for the future of our greater Church community but also for our own parish community here at Our Lady of Light.

​As we as staff and parishioners continue to strive for community that is rooted in hospitality and love at Our Lady of Light, my time in Rome will continue to act as a beacon of hope that unity is possible, and each of us has an active role to play in it.