ASTORIA — Experiences, expected and unexpected, unfolded during the Diocese of Brooklyn’s 2026 Lenten Pilgrimage stop on March 28 at St. Francis Assisi Parish.
Faithful pilgrims from all over the diocese pushed through cold, windy weather to attend the 9 a.m. Mass, followed by the rosary, Eucharistic adoration, and other holy activities throughout the day.
But because this stop was at a church named for St. Francis, the attendees could take key steps toward receiving a plenary indulgence. That is because Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a “Special Franciscan Jubilee Year” to mark the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi in 1226.
Thus, pilgrims could participate in plenary indulgence activities, including communion, confession, and Eucharistic adoration.
Msgr. Ralph Maresca, the pastor, said St. Francis of Assisi was happy to accommodate the pilgrims.
“It’s very exciting,” he said. “As we prepare to enter Holy Week, the holiest week of our Catholic faith, it gives us that opportunity to reflect on all that the Lord has done, out of love, for us, and the humiliation and the suffering that he experienced.”
Pilgrims got an unexpected break from the activities when the Jornada Movement’s annual Lenten procession passed at 11 a.m. on 21st Avenue in front of the church.
About 200 youthful “Jornadistas” sang and cheered as they followed their band that performed praise music from the back of a flatbed truck.
The surprised pilgrims assembled on the front steps with Msgr. Maresca, to join the worship.
“It’s bringing the youth out into the street to show the world that the Church is young,” explained Father Jose Henriquez, the Jornada spiritual director for the diocese. “The Church is alive.”
The procession also passed three other parishes in Astoria: St. Joseph’s, Immaculate Conception, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
This year is the diocese’s fourth annual Lenten pilgrimage, in which everyone in the diocese is invited to visit a designated church each day during Lent.
They attend Mass, participate in Eucharistic adoration, Stations of the Cross, and more.
Msgr. Maresca said this year was the parish’s first to host a Lenten Pilgrimage stop — a blessing for the parish since the 2026 Lenten Pilgrimage is dedicated to the Jubilee for St. Francis.
Pope Leo made indulgences available for pilgrims visiting Franciscan churches during the jubilee year, which began Jan. 10, 2026, and continues through Jan. 10, 2027.
But plenary indulgences are often misunderstood, even by faithful Catholics.
Simply put, if a person dies in a state of grace and friendship with God, but with temporal punishment still needed for sin, they undergo purification in purgatory. Plenary indulgences allow them to avoid this purifying state.
To receive this indulgence, a person must also go to confession, receive the Eucharist, pray for the pope’s intentions, and complete a detachment from sin.
Seekers must also complete a prescribed work approved by the Church. Examples include Eucharistic adoration, the Stations of the Cross, at least a half-hour of scripture reading, or saying the rosary.
All these activities were offered at St. Francis Assisi during the stop on the pilgrimage.
Kimberly-Ann Kateri Ragonese said she would offer her indulgence to a soul in purgatory.
“I give it up to the one who’s most in need of it,” she said. “I’m not looking to be first. I just want everybody to get to heaven.”
Other activities during the pilgrimage stop included a noon Angelus, a Divine Mercy Chaplet, and an evening benediction and closing led by Bishop Robert Brennan.
Nancy Gaetani described this pilgrimage stop as “absolutely beautiful.”
Gaetani is the chief of staff in the superintendent’s office for Catholic Schools of Brooklyn and Queens. She lives on Long Island and regularly attends Our Lady of Peace Parish in Lynbrook.
While working for the Diocese of Brooklyn, she learned about the pilgrimage and wanted to join it. This is her third year participating. She praised her fellow pilgrims.
“It’s really special,” she said. “We’re praying with people who are here for the same reason that I am here.
“I just feel like during Lent, I’m the best version of myself.”
The 2026 Lenten Pilgrimage concludes on April 1, beginning with a 9 a.m. Mass at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary-St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Parish in Ozone Park, Queens.
