David and Sara Hemingway are seen on Aug. 31, 2025 standing outside St. Peter’s Basilica and wearing their green volunteer vests. COURTESY OF SARA HEMINGWAY
‘You could feel that hope’
Owensboro couple volunteers for jubilee in Rome
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
David and Sara Hemingway had visited St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy, before, but volunteering with the Jubilee of Hope 2025 this past September “was a different atmosphere; it was special,” said Sara.
Early this year, the couple, who belong to St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro, learned about an opportunity to volunteer and assist the pilgrims visiting Rome in honor of the jubilee. Prospective volunteers understood they would arrange their own travel to Rome, and in their application process were required to submit a reference letter from their pastor or another Church representative.
Their pastor, Fr. John Thomas, wrote a letter of recommendation for their application, and after they submitted it, waited for several months. In June, the Hemingways were notified of the dates that they could come and volunteer at the holy doors of St. Peter’s Basilica, and they eagerly accepted.
A cornerstone of the Church’s jubilees, which take place every quarter-of-a-century, is the devotion of entering holy doors at designated churches.
“We were the people in the green vests,” said Sara, describing the fluorescent-green vests with the Vatican’s “Jubilee 2025” logo worn by volunteers, which are familiar to anyone who has made a Rome pilgrimage this year.
The two volunteered on a Saturday, Sunday, and a Monday, in six-hour shifts, helping pilgrims line up and prayerfully process along a designated path in St. Peter’s Square toward the holy doors. They were also present to answer any questions, check passes, and provide direction.
Their fellow volunteers came from various other countries, like Mexico, Germany, and Russia, as well as other parts of Italy.
“We enjoyed meeting all the volunteers from all over the world,” said David.
A sign denoting the path to take one’s pilgrimage through the holy doors of St. Peter’s Basilica is seen on Sept. 1, 2025. COURTESY OF SARA HEMINGWAY
His wife agreed, adding that it made her thankful for “the universality of our faith.”
The Hemingways experienced the powerful witness of several pilgrims, including a young woman who was excited to enter the holy doors via her wheelchair.
“There were people in actual tears,” said David. “Everyone was there for the same purpose. There was a feeling of unity.”
They also encountered visitors who were not Catholic. Many of these visitors would ask “How much does it cost to go inside?” and “If I’m not Catholic, can I go inside?”
David and Sara said they were happy “to help people feel welcome” and to tell them that there was no cost: “Of course you can go in!”
They realized that for many people, visiting St. Peter’s Basilica through the holy doors “may have been their first experience in a Catholic church,” said Sara.
One afternoon after their shift concluded, the two prayerfully entered the holy doors themselves, as pilgrims. They also made visits to other noteworthy sites, such as the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the late Pope Francis is interred.
The Hemingways also had the chance to attend Pope Leo XIV’s Wednesday audience, which Sara described as “amazing!”
Of their experience, David said that he did not truly realize, until it was over, “that we were a part of something that big.”
“I never thought I’d spend six hours in the nave of St. Peter’s Basilica, with the Pieta right there,” said Sara. “It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We’re very glad we went. You could definitely feel that hope.”
David and Sara Hemingway helped guide these young pilgrims and others visiting the holy doors at St. Peter’s Basilica during their time volunteering with the Jubilee of Hope 2025 in Rome. This picture was taken on Sept. 1, 2025. COURTESY OF SARA HEMINGWAY
Originally printed in the November 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
