A Jubilee pilgrimage to the Eastern Catholic Church

Photos by Jacob Wiegand | jacobwiegand@archstl.org The faithful attended Divine Liturgy on Oct. 26 at St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral in St. Louis. The cathedral is a Jubilee Year of Hope pilgrimage site of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles. The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full union with the Holy See and the pope.

St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral is a designated Jubilee site for Maronite eparchy

Laura Kosta

Submitted on October 30, 2025

The Jubilee Year of Hope is nearing its end.

Have you received your plenary indulgence yet?

In addition to the nine pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of St. Louis designated by Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, faithful in the St. Louis area can also take advantage of an Eastern Catholic site: St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral in Downtown St. Louis.

St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral is a designated pilgrimage site of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles. St. Raymond is the co-cathedral of the eparchy, led by Bishop Elias Zaidan and covering much of the central and western United States.

Msgr. John Nahal distributed the Eucharist to Nina Bouhasin during Divine Liturgy on Oct. 26 at St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral in St. Louis.

“The Jubilee Year is a time of grace, mercy, and renewal,” Bishop Zaidan wrote in a letter naming the pilgrimage sites. “It is a time to open wide the doors of our hearts to Christ, to draw closer to Him in every way, and to let the Holy Spirit transform us into faithful disciples.”

The Maronite Church, an Eastern Catholic Church named for St. Maron with roots in the Middle East, is in full union with the Holy See and the pope. A Maronite can attend a Roman Rite Mass and receive Holy Communion, and a Roman Catholic may do the same at a Maronite Divine Liturgy.

St. Raymond Cathedral traces its roots to 1912, when a new parish community formed from an overflow of parishioners at the Maronite Church of St. Anthony the Hermit, a Maronite parish established in 1898 and closed in 1940. The new St. Raymond community purchased the property on LaSalle Street, which was later renamed Lebanon Drive.

St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral in St. Louis is a Jubilee Year of Hope pilgrimage site of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles.

The current church was completed and consecrated in 1975. The new parish center, known as The Cedars, was dedicated in 1979. St. Raymond was named co-cathedral of the eparchy, alongside Our Lady of Mount Lebanon – St. Peter Cathedral in Los Angeles, in 2001.

Groups of both Maronite and Roman Catholics have been visiting St. Raymond seeking the Jubilee indulgence this year, St. Raymond Cathedral rector Msgr. John Nahal said. A plenary indulgence, or remission of the temporal punishment due to sins, can be obtained by visiting any designated site for a pilgrimage or pious visit, in addition to the usual conditions for an indulgence.

Msgr. Nahal and two associate pastors also share responsibility for St. Raymond-St. Elizabeth Parish in Crestwood, a bi-ritual parish that celebrates both the Maronite and Roman rites of the Mass. Many St. Raymond-St. Elizabeth parishioners have been among those making the pilgrimage to St. Raymond Cathedral this year, he said.

Carla Aouad prayed during Divine Liturgy on Oct. 26 at St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral in St. Louis.

The theme of hope has been sorely needed this year, Msgr. Nahal said. “There are lots of wars, and reports of wars, but as a Church, we’re always carrying this beacon of faith and hope,” he said. “If we don’t have Jesus Christ in our life, sin would be the end of our journey.”

The Eastern Catholic Churches are celebrating the Jubilee Year right alongside the Roman Catholic Church, Msgr. Nahal said, united under the pope’s guidance.

“There are little differences we have in spirituality, but in all, we celebrate Jesus Christ and His resurrection,” he said. “And this is where we’re going, hopefully, to be with Him.”

Read our series of stories featuring the designated pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of St. Louis during the Jubilee Year 2025 at stlreview.com/Jubilee-2025-sites

Jubilee Indulgences

Options to receive a Jubilee indulgence:

Pilgrimage to a sacred Jubilee site, where the faithful participate in Mass, another liturgical service such as Morning or Evening Prayer, or acts of piety such as Stations of the Cross, praying the Rosary or a penitential celebration.

Pious visit: Individually or in a group, devoutly visit a Jubilee site and engage in eucharistic adoration and meditation, concluding with the Our Father, the profession of faith from Mass, and a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Those who are unable to take part in pilgrimages or pious visits for serious reasons, such as cloistered religious, the elderly, the sick and those who care for them, or the imprisoned, may obtain the indulgence by uniting themselves in spirit with those making pilgrimages or pious visits, reciting an Our Father, a profession of faith, and other prayers in harmony with the purpose of the Jubilee Year, and offering up their sufferings and hardships to the Lord.

Works of Mercy and Penance: This includes participation in formational activities on the documents of Vatican II or the Catechism, initiatives that put into practice the spirit of penance, and performance of corporal or spiritual works of mercy. For the full details on Jubilee Indulgences, read the papal bull: stlreview.com/3POKFln

Help the souls in purgatory

The faithful who have carried out an act of charity on behalf of the souls in purgatory, if they receive holy Communion a second time that day within Mass, can obtain the plenary indulgence twice on the same day, applicable only to the deceased.

Usual conditions for a plenary indulgence:

• Be in a state of grace and have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin

• Sacramental confession (can be received several days before or after)

• Reception of holy Communion

• Prayer for the pope’s intentions