Father Damian Ference, diocesan vicar for evangelization, credits Father Rob Ramser, pastor of Our Lady of Angels Parish in Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood, with jump-starting the diocesan observance of the Jubilee Year. OLA was established in 1922 as a Franciscan parish and remained under the friars’ guidance until they turned it over to the diocese in 1987 due to a “diminishing number and physical strength of the work force.”

The Jubilee Year runs Jan. 10 through Jan. 10, 2027. The pope described it as “a gift for the entire Church and an occasion for authentic spiritual renewal.” With that in mind, Father Damian said the faithful are encouraged to visit the local pilgrimage sites (see following list). According to the pope’s proclamation, those who visit any Franciscan conventual church or place of worship dedicated to St. Francis anywhere in the world can receive a plenary indulgence if they meet certain conditions. These include confession, Communion and praying for the intentions of the pope. Locally, pilgrims can get a “passport” at any of the designated pilgrimage sites. The passport can be stamped when the sites are visited.

“Some of our pilgrimage sites are having special celebrations tied into feasts connected to St. Francis,” Father Damian said. For example, St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Parma hosted St. Anthony Day on June 14, with Mass, a procession and a party on the parish grounds that featured Father Andrew’s Brew — crafted by and named after the pastor, Father Andrew Hoover — plus Pax Et Bonum, the first of two specially commissioned Jubilee Year ice creams. The celebration also included food, raffles, family activities, music and more.

St. Anthony of Padua in Akron also had a celebration for its patronal feast day. Pastor Father Dismas Byarugaba said Father Phil Racco celebrated the vigil Mass on June 13, followed by a reception with refreshments, including Pax Et Bonum ice cream.

Additional celebrations are in the planning stages. Father Damian said Bishop Edward Malesic will visit the Conversion of St. Paul Shrine to celebrate Transitus with the Franciscan community in the diocese. Details will be announced later.

Much like the Jubilee Year of Hope, which was observed Dec. 24, 2024 to Jan. 6, 2026, the Franciscan Jubilee Year is a time of celebration for the gift of St. Francis. He is credited with creating the first Nativity scene in Greccio, Italy, and composition of the Canticle of the Creatures, a hymn to the holy beauty of creation. The saint, 1181-1226, was an Italian friar, mystic and poet who founded the Franciscan Order in 1208.

Pilgrimage sites

• Our Lady of Angels Parish, 3644 Rocky River Drive, Cleveland
• St. Anthony of Padua Parish, 83 Mosser Place, Akron
• St. Anthony of Padua Parish, 316 Fifth St., Fairport Harbor
• St. Anthony of Padua Parish, 1305 Fifth Ave., Lorain
• St. Anthony of Padua Parish, 6750 State Road, Parma
• St. Clare Parish, 5659 Mayfield Road, Lyndhurst
• St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 6850 Mayfield Road, Gates Mills
• Poor Clare Monastery (Poor Clares Colletine)/Conversion of St. Paul Shrine, 4120 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
• Poor Clare Monastery (Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration), 3501 Rocky River Drive, Cleveland

Jubilee treats

Father Damian Ference and Country Parlour Ice Cream created two new flavors for the Jubilee Year.

• Pax Et Bonum is a burgundy cherry ice cream with Bordeaux dark cherries and pistachios that was delivered in time for the feast of St. Anthony, June 13.
• Transitus, a vanilla bean ice cream with almond cookie bits mixed in, will be delivered in time for Transitus (Oct. 3), which marks the death of St. Anthony. His feast day is Oct. 4. Father Damian said the almond cookies recall St. Francis’ request for the cookies shortly before his death. “Even though he was a holy, austere man, he was human and enjoyed sweets,” he said.

Franciscan facts

The Franciscan presence in the diocese dates to the early 20th century, with both men and women religious serving as parish priests, educators, in jail ministry and social outreach and as cloistered nuns. Among the orders currently ministering are:

• The Order of Friars Minor, Capuchin, known as OFM Cap, who live in community at St. Paul Friary, next to the Conversion of St. Paul Shrine and the Poor Clare Monastery.
• Order of Friars Minor, who founded, and still minister at, Padua Franciscan High School in Parma.
• Poor Clares Colletine, an order of cloistered, contemplative nuns who live in the monastery on Rocky River Drive in Cleveland. The order was founded by St. Clare in 1212.
• Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration constitute a part of the Second Order of St. Francis, dedicated especially to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The order was founded in 1856 in France and has had a continuous presence in the diocese since 1921. Their monastery is at the Conversion of St. Paul Shrine.

OFM Cap ministries in the diocese include the following:

• St. Paul Friary (Capuchin residence), Cleveland
• Conversion of St. Paul Shrine, Cleveland
• St. Agnes/Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Cleveland
• Holy Spirit Parish, Garfield Heights
• St. Peter Parish, Cleveland
• Capuchin formation program (at Borromeo Seminary, Wickliffe)
• Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps, known as CapCorps
• The Friars Table restaurant, Cleveland