ORLANDO  |  Catholics around the Diocese of Orlando are participating in pilgrimages both near and far for the Jubilee Year of St. Francis, declared by Pope Leo XIV. The extraordinary jubilee began Jan. 10, 2026, and continues until Jan. 10, 2027, in memory of the 800th year of St. Francis of Assisi’s passing, or Transitus, as referred to by Franciscans.

Capuchin Franciscan Father Francisco Arredondo, of the Immaculate Conception Friary in Kissimmee, said for him the Jubilee Year of St. Francis is a personal time of renewal. Asked to speak throughout the diocese, he’s been re-reading books on the life of his order’s patron saint, his letters and biography.

While he acknowledged the “most popular saint” is often known as “the birdbath saint,” St. Francis is so much more than that. He emphasized Pope Leo’s desire for people to learn more and go deeper into the spiritual life of the saint, focusing on his example of peacemaking and simple living, as declared in the Gospel.

“There’s so much to St. Francis that people can learn in his love for the Eucharist, his love for our Blessed Mother, his love for the Incarnation, his love for the cross,” Father Arredondo said. “As disciples of Christ, a way laypeople can live that spirituality of St. Francis is through his love for simplicity. That’s something we can all do. We’re all called to live a little bit more simply.”

He added that St. Francis often called for conversion. He referred to an interior conversion of heart moving us closer to living more like Christ through our every action.

“(There is the indulgence), but it’s a deeper conversion, a personal conversion for ourselves,” Father Arredondo explained, adding the faithful might commit to reading the Gospel daily or trying to live with less. “We don’t need so many things. Also, his call for humility, being humble in service, serving others, his love for the Gospel.”

That philosophy is what attracted him to the Capuchin Franciscan order. “The very first talk we got from one of the friars is, as Franciscans we don’t walk above the people. We walk with the people.” That’s when he knew he was in the right place.

Kathy Ramsey is a secular Franciscan and current minister of the Lady Poverty Fraternity at San Pedro Spiritual Development Center in Winter Park. Professed nine years ago, she remembered being called to the fraternity. She was nervous at first, not fully understanding what it meant. “You’re called and your chosen. It’s not a ministry. It’s not something you join, and you leave. You have years of formation, typically three to four years. And then after that you make a profession which is a commitment for life.” She noted everyone feeling a special call to the fraternity is invited to join their meetings and learn more.

She also wants people to know there is more to St. Francis than his love of nature and animals. She said the whole point of St. Francis is about “being a peacemaker, but it’s also just living in the footsteps of Christ, going from Gospel to life and life to Gospel. And it’s just constantly trying to live a life that is as close to Christ as possible and having others in the community help you and guide you there.”

“St. Francis was a radical saint,” she continued. “He wasn’t just singing and looking at nature. He was one that called people to love God. And he did it with his actions, simple, humble actions. But he also did it with this great intensity. And he let go of everything of the world. He detached from everything, in some instances literally with his clothes, going to live in poverty in the cave (at La Verna).”

Ramsey believes, like St. Francis, “all are called to rebuild the Church” and “be that presence of Christ in the world.” His focus on peacemaking is integral to who he was and who all Franciscans of any order are called to emulate.

St. Francis lived out this call to being a peacemaker in many ways. Among them was the time he went to the Holy Land during the Crusades. Speaking to both Christian warriors and the Sultan, he asked them to stop fighting and come to a peaceful resolution. Although he was unable to halt the war, Ramsey pointed out “he and the Sultan actually had respect for each other, respect for their faith. And they walked away having a different perspective. And we are called right now to be peacemakers in the world with whoever we are encountering and with everyone around us.”

During this Jubilee Year of St. Francis, Catholics in the Diocese of Orlando may make a pilgrimage to local Franciscan parishes, like St. Francis of Assisi in Apopka and St. Clare Parish in Deltona.

The Apostolic Penitentiary grants a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father), which can also be applied in the form of suffrage for the souls in Purgatory to all the faithful without distinction who, with a heart detached from sin, participate in the Year of St. Francis by visiting, in the form of a pilgrimage, any Franciscan conventual church or place of worship anywhere in the world dedicated to St. Francis or connected to him for any reason, and there devoutly follow the Jubilee rites or spend at least a reasonable period of time in pious meditation and raise prayers to God so that, following the example of St. Francis, feelings of Christian charity towards neighbors and authentic vows of harmony and peace among peoples may spring forth in their hearts, concluding with the Our Father, the Creed and invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare and all the saints of the Franciscan Family.”

Father Matthew Vettah Joseph, parochial administrator of St. Francis of Assisi Parish is a Vocationist priest whose primary role is to promote vocations. He said these vocations are “intended to promote peace in the world.” He easily relates to the saint and finds it “an honor and a great moment of grace” to be part of this Jubilee Year.

“We are welcoming all the faithful who want to come and receive the special grace that this Jubilee year offers,” he said. The parish will also offer activities throughout the year, including Eucharistic Adoration, additional opportunities for Reconciliation, nine Friday Masses leading up to the final Friday, Oct. 2, just prior to the feast day in which he will offer a Night of Mercy. “All the people who really want to come and receive the mercy of God will have an opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to reconcile with the whole humanity,” he noted. He hopes, like St. Francis, moments like these will encourage the fostering of peace and humility in the world. “I admire the humility of St. Francis because humility is the one thing that brings the world together.”

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, June 4, 2026