Belmar parish to host 2025 Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation
September 16, 2025 at 1:14 p.m.
In celebration of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, St. Rose Parish, Belmar, invites the public to participate in a Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. The pilgrimage will begin at the Gazebo on 5th and Ocean Avenue in Belmar, and proceed along the boardwalk to First Avenue.
This sacred walk is one of many pilgrimages happening across the United States, uniting Catholic communities in prayer, reflection, and action for environmental stewardship. Organized nationally by the Catholic Climate Covenant, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, and other Catholic organizations, these pilgrimages call participants to become “Pilgrims of Hope” – journeying in faith to heal the Earth and restore our connection with God, one another and all of creation.
“As Catholics, we have a unique opportunity this year to reflect on our role in creation care,” said Dan Misleh, executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant. “These pilgrimages are about healing – healing our relationship with the Earth, with each other and with God. This is not just a journey of the body; it’s a pilgrimage of the soul.”
The pilgrimage comes in the wake of the hottest year on record, with devastating wildfires, hurricanes, and floods underscoring the urgent need for climate action. It is also part of the Season of Creation (Sept. 1–Oct. 4) – an annual ecumenical celebration dedicated to prayer and action for our common home.
This year also marks several significant anniversaries – the 10th anniversary of Laudato Sí, Pope Francis’s groundbreaking encyclical on the environment and the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures, written by St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology.
“We invite all people in our community to join us,” said Dorothy Litowinsky, a member of St. Rose Parish’s Justice and Peace Ministry. “The pilgrimage is a reminder that our journey on Earth is also a journey toward God. As ‘Pilgrims of Hope,’ we are walking for ourselves and for all our children and generations to come.”
Anna Johnson, program manager for Laudato Sí Movement – North America, also added: “As we take these steps toward healing, we are showing the world that each of us has a role to play in the health of God’s creation. As Pope Francis reminds us, ‘The world sings of an infinite Love: how can we fail to care for it?’”
For more information, contact Cathy Sugden, [email protected]; 732-859-4257 or Dorothy Litowinsky, [email protected]; 732-245-3772.
‘Care For Creation” events planned in Titusville, Hopewell parishes
In Tinton Falls parish, Laudato Sí’s 10th anniversary will be marked with Prayer Walk, Mass with Bishop
Saturday, December 27, 2025
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Events
In celebration of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, St. Rose Parish, Belmar, invites the public to participate in a Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. The pilgrimage will begin at the Gazebo on 5th and Ocean Avenue in Belmar, and proceed along the boardwalk to First Avenue.
This sacred walk is one of many pilgrimages happening across the United States, uniting Catholic communities in prayer, reflection, and action for environmental stewardship. Organized nationally by the Catholic Climate Covenant, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, and other Catholic organizations, these pilgrimages call participants to become “Pilgrims of Hope” – journeying in faith to heal the Earth and restore our connection with God, one another and all of creation.
“As Catholics, we have a unique opportunity this year to reflect on our role in creation care,” said Dan Misleh, executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant. “These pilgrimages are about healing – healing our relationship with the Earth, with each other and with God. This is not just a journey of the body; it’s a pilgrimage of the soul.”
The pilgrimage comes in the wake of the hottest year on record, with devastating wildfires, hurricanes, and floods underscoring the urgent need for climate action. It is also part of the Season of Creation (Sept. 1–Oct. 4) – an annual ecumenical celebration dedicated to prayer and action for our common home.
This year also marks several significant anniversaries – the 10th anniversary of Laudato Sí, Pope Francis’s groundbreaking encyclical on the environment and the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures, written by St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology.
“We invite all people in our community to join us,” said Dorothy Litowinsky, a member of St. Rose Parish’s Justice and Peace Ministry. “The pilgrimage is a reminder that our journey on Earth is also a journey toward God. As ‘Pilgrims of Hope,’ we are walking for ourselves and for all our children and generations to come.”
Anna Johnson, program manager for Laudato Sí Movement – North America, also added: “As we take these steps toward healing, we are showing the world that each of us has a role to play in the health of God’s creation. As Pope Francis reminds us, ‘The world sings of an infinite Love: how can we fail to care for it?’”
For more information, contact Cathy Sugden, [email protected]; 732-859-4257 or Dorothy Litowinsky, [email protected]; 732-245-3772.