October 14, 2025 // Bishop

Bishop Challenges Faithful to Become ‘Witnesses of Hope’

Eric Peat

The joy of the universal Church was on full display in southwest Fort Wayne on Wednesday, October 8, when Bishop Rhoades made a stop on the Jubilee Year of Hope tour at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.

As one of the nine designated Jubilee pilgrimage churches in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton hosted a special Jubilee Mass, drawing a varied assortment of priests and laity from surrounding parishes to join in the Eucharistic celebration.

“This is like the universal Church,” Bishop Rhoades remarked as he began Mass. “We have priests from Africa, one is from Vietnam, another is from Myanmar or Burma, and another from Mexico! And a couple from here in the United States,” Bishop Rhoades finished to much laughter.

During his homily, Bishop Rhoades outlined the history of Jubilee years throughout the Old Testament. Calling the year “a time for spiritual renewal,” Bishop Rhoades challenged those present to bring the supernatural hope that St. Paul writes about into a world of increasing hopelessness.

“The first step to becoming witnesses of hope is to cultivate the virtue of hope in our own lives, especially through our lives of prayer,” Bishop Rhoades said. “We can hardly be messengers of hope to others if we aren’t filled with hope ourselves. Our hope grows through having a real prayer life, a true friendship with the Lord. And we need the grace of the sacraments, which are the efficacious signs of the presence and action of God in our lives.”

Once we have grown in the virtue of hope, Bishop Rhoades said, we will experience joy and peace in the midst of suffering. We will also work to “engender hope in others” through our love and acts of charity. Jesus has even given us the gift of His mother to guide us on this mission.

“Our Blessed Mother, assumed into heaven, comes to the aid of all who seek her help, to all who may be tempted to despair, and to all of us who need the strength to persevere in hope along our pilgrim way,” Bishop Rhoades said in closing. “She is our Star of the Sea, reflecting the light of her Son, so that we can reach the destination of our voyage of life. May she shine upon us and guide us on our way!”

At the conclusion of Mass, Bishop Rhoades expressed gratitude to Father Terry Coonan, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and Father Jake Schneider, parochial vicar, before thanking the faithful for their presence.

“Thanks to all of you for coming here to give thanks and praise to the Lord in the middle of the week,” Bishop Rhoades said. “It’s really wonderful to see so many of you here. May the Lord continue to bless you and give you the grace always to persevere in hope and bear witness to hope in your lives.”

Bishop Rhoades then imparted the pope’s apostolic blessing upon those gathered. He also offered a Jubilee plenary indulgence – a remission of the temporal punishment due to sin – to attendees who met the necessary conditions.

Peggy Hurt, a parishioner at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Yoder, said the indulgence is what enticed her parents to come. “My parents asked me to bring them, and I thought, why not go?” explained Hurt, acknowledging it may be “their last time to get the plenary indulgence.”

Meanwhile, longtime St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishioner Kathryn Feit said Bishop Rhoades’ message of hope resonated within her own motherhood. “As a mom,” Feit said, “I just really [want to] teach my daughter to enjoy being Catholic.”

Nicholas Mills, visiting from St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Churubusco, was particularly struck by Bishop Rhoades’ etymology of the word “jubilee.”

“[My biggest takeaway] would be just the word ‘jubilee’ itself, meaning hope and joy, shouting for joy,” Mills said. “I’m going to focus on that this year with this Jubilee. It made me call back all the Jubilee of Youth stuff they did in Rome. … This is a good tone to set for this year.”

The next Jubilee Mass will be offered at SS. Peter and Paul in Huntington on Wednesday, October 29, before the closing Mass of the Jubilee Year is held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne on Sunday, December 28.