When Pope Leo XIV spoke to the more than 100,000 young pilgrims at the Jubilee of Youth opening Mass in St. Peter’s Square on July 29, he recalled the words of Jesus.
“You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world and today, your voices, your enthusiasm, your cries; are all for Jesus Christ, and you will be heard until the ends of the earth,” the Holy Father said.
Among those in the vast sea of people listening were 12 young pilgrims from Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) Church in Riverside: Isaac Castillo, Rhianna Flores, Jayden Landaverde, Ismael Pena, Ayleen Puente, Diana Rico, Paola Rico, Sofia Rico, Shaily Rivas, Genesis Romero, Ana Silvas, and Rachel Vidrio. The pilgrims departed the diocese on July 27 to join the millions of participants from 146 countries for the 2025 Jubilee of Youth celebrations in Rome, which took place from July 28- August 3.
“Today begins a few days, a journey: the Jubilee of Hope, and the world needs messages of hope. You are this message, and you must continue to give hope to everyone,” Pope Leo XIV added at the opening Mass.
Echoing this call for hope and peace was OLPH pilgrim Ayleen Puente, “I truly enjoyed that everybody here was united, even with all of the wars and hatred going on in the world, we were all able to come together and unite through God and I hope everyone can learn from that and reflect it back in their own communities.”
The OLPH pilgrims were led on this extraordinary journey by parish pastor, Father Benjamin Alforque, M.S.C., Molina Erb, Diocesan Ministry with Young Catholics Consultant, and three adult chaperones.
“This is a good time for young people to remember that they are called by God,” Fr. Alforque said. “That their fulfillment and their true happiness is in Christ Jesus. To have an encounter with Jesus, to encounter Him in every way, especially for the poor, for justice, peace and integrity of creation.”
After a few days of sightseeing various ancient Roman and Catholic monuments and locations in Rome from July 28- 30, the OLPH pilgrims fulfilled an important request they had asked to participate in while on their pilgrimage. On July 30, they volunteered at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Youth Gather event and helped by checking-in participants. Fr. Alforque heard confessions at the Circus Maximus.
“My favorite part of this whole Jubilee pilgrimage was honestly being with the younger pilgrims,” said OLPH pilgrim Diana Rico. “I just felt like we all got closer together and built our relationship with God.”
Amidst visiting various sacred places, the OLPH pilgrims made sure to visit the Carlo Acutis Center located in the Church of San Marcello al Corso, a designated space for pilgrims during the Jubilee of Youth. This included the veneration of a relic of Carlo Acutis and exhibits about his life and work.
“We spent some time with the relic of Carlo Acutis, and we heard his story and the impact he has had on young people,” said Erb, who took a moment to write down the “Diocese of San Bernardino” into one of the church’s intention books. “It was an amazing day filled with walking around Rome, and we continue to keep everyone back home in our prayers.”
The pilgrimage culminated the weekend of Aug. 2, beginning first with a joyful festival filled with entertainment, music and testimonials from 2-8 pm at the 237-acre grounds of the University of Rome Tor Vergata. The evening concluded with a special Vigil and Adoration with Pope Leo XIV. After the Vigil, the young pilgrims camped out at the grounds in anticipation of the closing Mass of the Jubilee of Youth the next morning.
“I feel very fortunate and blessed to be able to experience this wonderful time here,” OLPH pilgrim Shaily Rivas said. “I feel like I’ve gotten several opportunities to get intimate with Jesus and I truly feel enlightened by the Holy Spirit and by the others around me. I feel really happy that I’m here with the people that I love and the people that I’ve gotten close with.”
Similarly, OLPH cousins Ismael Pena and Isaac Castillo were also thankful for being on this journey with their loved ones and found themselves in awe among the tens of thousands of youths at the University grounds.
“This amazing crowd and beautiful people, we’ve seen people all over the place, who are yearning for Christ and yearning for the Holy Spirit,” Pena said. “I’m really excited to be here. It’s a true blessing being over here with my cousin and being out here with our friends as well from the youth group of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.”
Castillo shared a similar sentiment about being at this once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage with his cousin and friends.
“We learned so much together,” he said of making the pilgrimage with Pena. “It’s cool to grow in your faith with people that you care about. I think that’s been the best part about being over here.”
The following morning at the 9 am closing Mass, Pope Leo XIV had this message for the youth, “Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less. You will then see the light of the Gospel growing every day, in you and around you.”
Inspired by the pontiff, OLPH pilgrim Puente shared that she would try to fulfill this goal upon her return home. “I feel eternally grateful for the experience, being here has brought me closer to God, and I hope to bring that wisdom and guidance back to my community,” Puente said.