The month of September started with a holiday and now it’s almost over! We have just a few more days of September to enjoy! Of course, another month seems to have gone by very quickly and the cooler weather of October will soon be here.
Another month behind us means that we only have three full months of the Jubilee Year left. Perhaps you were hoping that you could do something special during these months but never finalized your plans. Now is the time to start planning if you are thinking that you will make some kind of a jubilee pilgrimage. There are plenty of places in Michigan that make a nice jubilee site. For example, in the Archdiocese of Detroit, one could travel to visit the Blessed Solanus Casey Center. Another site would be the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica. There are plenty of sites within a couple of hours drive from Portage. Up North, if you are planning to go look at leaves, you could also make a pilgrimage to the Cross in the Woods at Indian River. These are just a few ideas as there are other pilgrimage locations in surrounding states. The official end of the Jubilee Year will take place on January 6th, 2026 in Rome.
Speaking about Rome, I found an interesting stat regarding the number of pilgrims that have visited Rome during this Jubilee. It is estimated that 24 million pilgrims have visited so far. The predicted number of pilgrims for the Jubilee is 32 million. The 24 million number already matches the total number of pilgrims who visited during the 2000 Jubilee (I was one of those people). Regardless, these are amazing numbers for those who have participated in the Jubilee.