Becoming a ‘pilgrim of hope’

Slave Lake parishioner pilgrimages through Rome to begin the Jubilee Year

Now home from a week-long pilgrimage in Rome, Matthew Alejaga has returned with a strengthened faith and a peace that he feels could be everlasting.

“We were there as volunteers, but we were also there as pilgrims. We got to go through the Holy Doors, attend Mass, make time for prayer. My faith is much stronger from the experience,” he said. “I just feel so at peace now. I can see myself just staying in a peaceful state forever.”

The 19-year-old from Slave Lake jumped at the opportunity to volunteer with the Vatican for the 2025 Jubilee Year, and he was in the ancient city of Rome from January 3rd to January 12th. The pilgrimage came with many memorable experiences – getting to walk through all four of the original Holy Doors in Rome, and to even attend the papal Mass and opening of the final Holy Doors at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

But the most powerful spiritual moment for Matthew came at a much quieter affair, when he visited the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola one evening after a long day of volunteering. Despite his exhaustion, he went there to spend some time in prayer, and listen to the faint but powerful music echoing through the church. As he prayed he looked up, seeing the detailed and intricate religious art depicted on the church’s ceiling.

“Looking up at this very incredible painting and listening to the music there, it was like I was transported to a different world,” said Matthew. “The art is one of the things that struck me most. These images – depictions of Jesus, depictions of the Faith – they were like a language. It was like God was speaking to me through the art. And I learned later that the purpose of that painting is precisely to remind people that there is a God above them.”

Matthew was part of a team of around 40 young volunteers, with others coming from Chile, Brazil, the US, France, South Korea, Germany, Italy and elsewhere. Matthew was the only Canadian pilgrim with the group.

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There were many great Catholic sites Matthew got to visit. He toured St. John Lateran Basilica, the oldest basilica in the western world, as well as the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Getting to witness the opening of the Holy Doors at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls was something Matthew particularly saw as “the experience of a lifetime”.

On January 6th, Matthew attended the Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany, which was celebrated by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica. As he described it:

“The music was resonating all through the church, and seeing the incense smoke rising in the air and the sun shining through the stain glass window – it was a very powerful experience,” he said. “What was also really inspiring was seeing how family-oriented Italian culture is. The families at the Mass were there with their grandparents, their cousins, everyone. Their family bonds are very strong and they stay together to take care of one another. You don’t see that as much in Canada.”

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Above all, the phrase “Pilgrims of Hope” has come to represent for Matthew the central mission of Christians in the world today.

“As ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, we are called to show people that there is still hope in the world. That theme to me means that we Christians are the hope of the world, especially now with so much war and violence happening everywhere. In today’s world, we can choose to either help spread this fear, or to spread the Good News, to be what Jesus calls us to be: the salt of the world, the hope of the world.”

This is only an excerpt. Read the full story in the January-February 2025 edition of Northern Light