A ‘joyful’ celebration of priesthood in Rome

From June 25 to 27, thousands of priests gathered in Rome to celebrate the Jubilee of Priests as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope.

Several priests from the Archdiocese of Newark traveled to Rome for the celebration. Among them was Father Danny Pabon, pastor of Saint Leo Parish in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

For Fr. Pabon, the pilgrimage to Rome was a kind of homecoming. “I was living in Rome at the Pontifical North American College when Francis was elected pope,” he told Jersey Catholic. His return to the city for the Jubilee Year came as a surprise, as it was a gift from the people of his parish.

He attended the Jubilee of Priests with two friends, Fr. Nelson Oyola, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Bloomfield, and Fr. Juan Ortega, parochial vicar of St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral in Newark. While there, they encountered two other priests from the Archdiocese, Fr. JM Manolo Punzalan, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Mahwah, and Fr. Ralph Siendo, pastor of Our Lady of Victories Parish in Jersey City.

The group from Newark found themselves among more than 6,000 brother priests (along with seminarians and bishops experiencing concurrent celebrations) from five continents.

“It was just fascinating because we were able to sit down with people from all over the world and see an expression of priesthood from different perspectives,” Fr. Pabon said.

A ‘joyful’ theme

The three-day event featured moments of catechesis, holy hours, and opportunities to sit down and engage in discussions with priests from other countries. Participants were given the chance to visit the Holy Doors of Rome’s basilicas and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There was also a special meeting with Pope Leo, themed “Joyful Priests.”

“Those days were a renewing opportunity for us in our vocation and in our call,” Fr. Pabon said.

Discussions helped Fr. Pabon realize that the whole Church is experiencing a challenging moment. “Hearing from priests from Africa and Asia, you see that the struggles and difficulties are a universal thing,” Fr. Pabon said. “But you also see that in Africa and Asia they have many vocations. That gave me hope because even though things might be challenging right now, even though things might be uncertain, the Church is still alive, and Jesus is still present.”

The experience in Rome also increased his desire to grow in fraternity and dialogue with brother priests in the Archdiocese of Newark, he said.

Needed more than ever

On June 27, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Jubilee of Priests ended when thousands of priests filled St. Peter’s Basilica to celebrate Mass with the Pope, wearing matching chasubles gifted to them as a memento of the gathering. 32 men were ordained to the priesthood during the liturgy.

In a message to priests delivered after Mass, Pope Leo said that the Heart of Christ “renews in our own hearts the call to be completely committed to the service of God’s people.”

The Pope said that priests were more needed than ever in today’s world:

“In a world marked by growing tensions, even within families and ecclesial communities, priests are called to promote reconciliation and foster communion. Building unity and peace demands that we be pastors capable of wise discernment, skilled in the art of piecing together the fragments of the lives entrusted to our care, so that we can enable people to see the light of the Gospel in the midst of life’s trials … Priestly fraternity becomes a credible sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in our midst precisely when it is the hallmark of our shared journey as priests.”

The Pope also advised priests not to be discouraged by their frailty, telling them that “the Lord does not look for perfect priests, but for humble hearts that are open to conversion and prepared to love others as he himself loved us.”

A memorable embrace

One spontaneous moment will especially stay with Fr. Pabon. “After Pope Leo addressed us, there was a moment of silence,” he said. “And an older priest from Spain suddenly raised his voice and said, ‘Holy Father, please give me a hug.’”

Surprised, Pope Leo asked the huge gathering of priests if it would be okay to hug the old man and, by doing so, to embrace all of them. “We said, ‘By all means!” Fr. Pabon recalled.

So, the priest, a monsignor, came up to the stage and hugged the Pope. “You could see the Pope was emotional,” Fr. Pabon recalled. “And after that beautiful encounter, the Pope looked out at us and said, ‘Guys, I want you to know that you are never alone. It doesn’t matter where you are assigned. You could be in the remotest mission, but you are never alone. Always look for your spiritual director, look for your brother priests. You are never alone.’”

“Those words really resonated with me and with all of us,” Fr. Pabon said — especially so when, a few days later, it was learned that a priest serving in the north of Italy had tragically taken his own life.

“I believe the Holy Spirit was acting to speak to us in that spontaneous moment with the Pope,” Fr. Pabon said.

Visit our photo gallery to see more images of the Jubilee of Priests.

To learn more about 2025 Jubilee celebrations in the Archdiocese of Newark, visit our Jubilee page.

READ ALSO: The two brothers who became Fathers

Featured image: Fr. Danny Pabon (left), Fr. Juan Ortega (center), and Fr. Nelson Oyola (right), share a moment during the final day of the Jubilee for Priests in Rome. (Photos courtesy of Fr. Danny Pabon)