In this video Deacon Andy Saunders reflects on his pilgrimage to Rome as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope declared by Pope Francis. To see the video, hear the podcast, or read the reflection click on the read more below.

A Pilgrimage of Hope

By Deacon Andrew Saunders

As I got into the taxicab to begin my journey home from Rome back to New Jersey, I was struck by the sun breaking through the clouds in the early morning over the Eternal City. It seemed to be a defining sign of the 2025 Jubilee Pilgrims of Hope with the brilliance of the sun bringing the hope of a new day by dispelling the darkness and early morning gloom. It had been an amazing and inspiring 12-day trip. As I journeyed toward the airport, I felt renewed in faith and full of hope for the future. It had been a transformational pilgrimage for me personally and for my diaconal ministry. It will take me a lifetime to fully unpack the experiences, the places I visited and the people I met along the way. Throughout the entire pilgrimage all of Rome – indeed the entire world –  was praying in solidarity for the healing and hopeful return of health for our Holy Father.

The pilgrimage began with the International Diaconate Centre’s conference at the Fraterna Domus – Sacrofano, a huge retreat complex located in the rural outskirts of the city. It was here that I had the chance to meet 140 deacons from 27 countries around the world. It was a unique opportunity to learn about the joys and challenges of my diaconate brothers through dialogue, and to be in solidarity and fraternity with them. We celebrated Mass and prayed together in multiple languages.

At the conclusion of the conference, we travelled together into the heart of Rome, to attend the Jubilee of Deacons which included catechetical and listening sessions on the diaconate with senior Vatican officials. At the end of these sessions, we made the walk through the Holy Door while reciting the Prayers for the Pilgrimage. That night we participated in evening prayer at the Pope Paul VI auditorium. This was an emotional moment for me and for my brother deacons from around the world. We stood together in solidarity renewing, which for me was nearly 14 years ago, the diaconal promises we made before our bishop. The Jubilee concluded the following morning with the ordination Mass of 23 new deacons. What an amazing experience to vest and process into St. Peter’s with 6,000 fellow deacons!!

My remaining time in Rome was an educational opportunity focused on visiting San Gregorio; a church dedicated to Pope St. Gregory the Great. He was a deacon who became Pope at a perilous and tumultuous time in the history of Rome which is not too unlike our current period. I also visited the Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, dedicated to Deacon Lawrence who was martyred by the Romans for presenting to them the true treasures of the Church – the poor and disabled people. I concluded my time in Rome at the Lay Centre with Mass, dinner, and a discussion on the diaconate with young scholars from 17 countries around the world.

Throughout my journey I was intrigued with the Pilgrims of Hope logo. It was everywhere, including the stoles given to us by the Holy Father for the ordination Mass. The logo has four figures shaped and configured into a boat. I came to learn they represent all humanity coming from the four corners of the world. Each of the figures is embracing each other as a sign of solidarity and fraternity united in our common humanity. The front figure holds a cross which is bended downward towards them representing through faith the hope Christ brings to the world and to each of us. A God who bends down to meet us in our trials and difficulties. Underneath the figures are rough waves signifying life can be difficult. The rough waters can wear us down. Even sink us. At the bottom of the cross is an anchor. It symbolizes that vessels in times of emergency have a reserve anchor to steady the boat. An anchor of hope!

The Pilgrims of Hope logo has come to symbolize my own personal journey of faith and hope not just while I was in Rome but throughout my entire life. I came to understand we are pilgrims together. A journey of mutual support in fraternity and solidarity sometimes in the rough seas of life. I experienced deep fraternal bonds with my diaconal brothers in Rome. There was Emmanual from Pakistan, Erik from Germany, Gilbert from India, Stephen from the United Kingdom, and Joe, a former student from Trenton, I bumped into standing outside Sant’ Andrea della Valle. This pilgrimage through time and space taken over the past 67 years of my life also includes my family and friends, my spiritual family at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology and my parish family at St. Elizabeth of Hungary. We are all in this together. Journeying in hope to the Heavenly Kingdom.

The logo Pilgrims of Hope also has great meaning for the diaconate and for my diaconal ministry. In the Pope’s homily, delivered by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, he spoke about deacons being builders of community and forgiveness in a world in need of hope. Deacons bring hope by linking the altar to the street. As clerics we are set apart only to be re-immersed in society, journeying together in the boat over the rough seas. As a visible sign of Christ, configured for service, deacons are the Church’s servants and guardians of hope. This is a privilege and a great responsibility for me and my brother deacons.

As the boat of life rides the waves, I take great solace in knowing I am not alone. We are traveling together in solidarity and in hope. In the words of Pope Francis:

To Hope is to wait for something

that has already been given to us:

salvation in the eternal and infinite love of God,

that love, that salvation,

that gives flavor to our life

and that constitutes the cornerstone

on which the world remains standing…

Hope is a gift from God given to each of us. May all Christians and most especially deacons embrace it by bringing it out into the daily world. “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5)Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Hope, may the love of God be poured into our hearts so that we – you and I- can be beacons of hope!