At home and abroad, visit some of Catholicism’s holy shrines this spring

Easter is one of the most significant celebrations in Christianity, marking the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his crucifixion. It symbolizes a new beginning as the Lenten season comes to an end. Unlike in the United States, where various religions coexist, the majority of Italians are Catholic, and they widely celebrate feasts and holidays across the country.

In 2025, travel to Italy is on the rise. Airlines have increased direct flights from Philadelphia. Many travelers are exploring their Italian heritage in Southern Italy, a region filled with countless villages. Extending your trip by a few days can make visiting saints and shrines a reality.

The Italian-American community is abuzz about 2025 being the Year of the Jubilee, a significant year of “grace” in the Catholic Church that occurs roughly every 25 years. This provides the faithful with the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence, or forgiveness of sins. The Jubilee is expected to bring some 35 million visitors to the city of Rome this year. During the Jubilee Year, the Holy Doors of Rome’s major basilicas – St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls – are opened. Pope Francis has announced the theme “Hope Does Not Disappoint” and has opened a new Holy Door at the Rebibbia New Complex Prison in Rome. The Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L’Aquila also has a Holy Door established by Pope Celestine V in 1294, over 700 years ago. These Holy Doors symbolize “the passage to salvation, the path to a new and eternal life, which was opened to humanity by Jesus.”

Most visits to Italy include a journey to Rome. As I write this just weeks before publication, Pope Francis is quite frail, making attendance at his Wednesday and Sunday addresses uncertain, but this also marks the transition of the 266th pope. Visiting the Holy Doors in 2000 with Peter Federico and his family was a memorable experience for me; he had done so in 1975, and I aspire to follow in his footsteps.

On my first trip back to Italy post-COVID as a widow, my visit to my grandmother’s village, Loreto Aprutino, was profound. My 90-year-old aunt, whom I stayed with, insisted I meet the Patron of Abruzzo, Saint Gabriel, although I only grasped part of the conversation due to our language barrier. A few days later, I traveled to Castel Castagno to see an Italian American friend, Sonya Ceritano, who had recently moved to her grandmother’s village to pursue her dream of guiding tourists through her motherland with her new venture, Abruzzo Sister Tours, all fueled by faith. A retired local villager encouraged Sonya to take me to Isola del Gran Sasso to see the church where “Jackie’s Bells” rang – referring to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who contributed significantly to the reconstruction of the bell tower.

As we drove, signs pointed the way to St. Gabriel’s Shrine. I informed Sonya that this was the patron saint and a shrine, which she recognized from her family’s visits to the Food Trucks after Sunday services. What we discovered that day was that modern miracles are still alive. St. Gabriele passed away in 1862 at age 24, and the many walls filled with written testimonials at this site, which attracts 2 million visitors annually, bear witness to God’s blessings. Remarkably, both our lives transformed after our visit, and we felt humbled by what we experienced in February. If you get the chance, anytime of year, go see “Jackie’s Bells”!

Other shrines worth visiting include The Sanctuary of St. Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, Puglia, where you can explore his tomb, cell, confessional, and the Capuchin Monastery of Our Lady of Grace, where Mass is celebrated.

If you can’t travel to Italy, there are local shrines in Philadelphia to explore, such as St. Rita of Cascia on Broad Street, St. John Neumann at St. Peter the Apostle Church, and the Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Easter Blessings from my family to yours!