Aviv and Catarina: Couples on the road to hope

SFXC pilgrims at the Jubilee for Youth vigil after the Papal Mass

Going on pilgrimage together as a married couple during the 2025 Jubilee of Hope was such a special grace for us. Before flying to Italy, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary! We began our pilgrimage with many intentions on our hearts: to give thanks to God for His generosity in giving blessings during our marriage, to continue to discern His Will in all aspects of our lives, and to intercede for all our loved ones – living and deceased – and for all our future generations.

In Italy, graces continued to pour forth out of the Lord’s generosity. We had the opportunity to walk alongside so many wonderful people from various backgrounds and states of life. We are grateful for all the amazing friendships we cultivated on this journey. ​

Catarina and Aviv standing next to the image of Saint Cristina in Sepino.

​We also had the opportunity to meet many saints, who intercede for us pilgrims. These holy men and women included St. Benedict, St. Scholastica, St. Francis, St. Clare, Bl. Carlo Acutis, St. Anthony, St. Luke, St. Paul and more! In particular, we received the grace of being able to venerate the relic of St. Cristina and walk with her in procession in Fr. Cristino’s hometown of Sepino. This moment was significant for us since Catarina’s mother is named after this saint.
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Above all, we had many moments of profound encounters with Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who we visited in the Blessed Sacrament and received every day in Holy Mass. In Turin, we prayed in the presence of the Shroud, recalling His immense sacrifice of love for our sake. Following from the passion to the resurrection, we adored Him in the miraculously unveiled host in Lanciano and in the Precious Blood in Orvieto. Finally, we adored Jesus along with one million other young Catholics in Tor Vergata at the Jubilee Vigil with Pope Leo XIV.

The Monstrance containing the miraculously unveiled host in Lanciano

​Along our journey, we meditated on how this pilgrimage was a beautiful metaphor for our vocation. We are called to walk as pilgrims in this life to arrive home to perfect communion with God in eternity. However, God does not want us to walk the road alone. Walking together as husband and wife on pilgrimage to Italy allowed us to enter even more deeply into the mystery of marriage, wherein we have been called to accompany each other towards our final destination: to Eternal Love Himself.

​Especially during this Jubilee of Hope, we find comfort in the Lord’s words: “I am with you always, to the close of the age,” (Mt 28:20). Couples may often worry about the state of the world and the future of their children. This earthly pilgrimage can be arduous, dark, and perilous at times. Yet, the message from this year’s Jubilee reminds us that there is always hope in the resurrection of Christ, the Light of the World, Who has given Himself to us as Heavenly Bread for our weary souls. 

Furthermore, we are accompanied by the saints, who intercede for us and stand as a “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) before the throne of God. And, of course, our heavenly Mother, “our life, our sweetness, and our hope” always protects her children under her heavenly mantle and guides us back to her Divine Son.

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Written by Catarina Avila for Faithfully. She and her husband Aviv joined the young adults pilgrimage to Italy with St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy. Photos courtesy of Catarina Avila.