By Bishop Conley
As the summer sun begins to warm our days and the calendar eases somewhat from its hurried pace, many of us naturally begin to look for opportunities to rest, travel, and reconnect with family and friends. Summer offers a season of refreshment and renewal. As vacations or barbecues nourish our bodies and relationships, it’s also the perfect time to nourish our souls.
Summer can be a great time for spiritual renewal. As things slow down and more leisure time tends to emerge, these summer months can be an ideal season to step back, reflect, and re-center our lives on Christ. In the Diocese of Lincoln, this summer also brings us a unique opportunity to enter more deeply into the Jubilee Year of Hope—a year designated for rediscovering the beauty of our faith, the power of God’s promises, and the joy that comes from walking in hope.
With nine pilgrimage sites offering a way to obtain an indulgence and the chance to participate in the “One Book + One Diocese project (read “Fire and Light: Learning to Receive the Gift of God” and join the discussion Aug. 26), there are many ways for you to intentionally take advantage of the jubilee year this summer. Please visit our website (lincolndiocese.org/jubilee) to learn more.
A summer of strengthening: don’t take a vacation from Mass
As our summer plans fill with trips, sporting events, and relaxation, it can be a temptation to let Sunday Mass slide into the background. But there is no better way to anchor your summer than by keeping the Lord’s Day holy.
The Eucharist is not an obligation we check off our list—it is the source and summit of our faith, a true lifeline to God. It is where we encounter and receive the living Christ, who shares His divine life with us, refreshes our weary spirits, and strengthens us for the journey ahead. When we choose to attend Mass, even while traveling, we proclaim that God is at the center of our lives.
This is especially vital in a culture that often disconnects leisure from the Lord. True rest is found not in distracting entertainment, but in communion with the One who made us. So, whether you’re home, at the lake, or on a road trip, make Sunday Mass a non-negotiable part of your summer plans. Let it be your weekly act of thanking God for all the blessings you’ll enjoy this summer.
You can find Mass times for our diocesan parishes at www.lincolndiocese.org/directory/parishes.
A summer of hope: entering the Jubilee
Pope Francis inaugurated our current Jubilee Year in 2025—a special year of grace and renewal for the entire world—with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.”
Hope, one of the three theological virtues, is more than mere optimism. It is the desire to be with God eternally and the firm trust that, no matter the trials we face, God will help us persevere because He is faithful to His promises. As the Catechism beautifully explains, “The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men’s activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity” (CCC 1818).
This summer, during this Jubilee Year, we are all invited to meditate on this virtue. As we see new growth in creation, so too we can ask God to increase the virtue of hope within us and cooperate with Him in cultivating hope in our hearts. The Lord invites each of us to live with the confidence that He is working all things for our good.
At the nine Holy Year pilgrimage sites across the diocese, you are invited to pray, reflect, and receive special graces through a plenary indulgence. These pilgrimage opportunities are tangible reminders that our faith is a journey—a walk toward God, who is our eternal happiness. The Cor Mariae Schoenstatt Shrine is featured in this issue of the Southern Nebraska Register, and you can view a full list of the pilgrimage sites and learn how to make a Holy Year pilgrimage at our diocesan website (lincolndiocese.org/jubilee).
I encourage you to consider making a pilgrimage part of your summer plans. Whether as a personal retreat or a family road trip, a pilgrimage can be a powerful act of faith and a source of spiritual renewal. These churches across the diocese are doorways to hope, inviting you to trust again in God’s mercy and providence.
A summer of grace: try something new
Beyond pilgrimage and weekly Mass, summer also offers a slower pace that can open the door for deeper prayer, study, and acts of service. Consider committing to one of the following:
> Daily prayer outdoors, 10–15 minutes each day to take a walk outside to lift up your heart to God and enjoy His beautiful creation.
> Reading a spiritual classic, such as “Introduction to the Devout Life” or “True Devotion to Mary.”
> Volunteering as a family, perhaps at a parish food drive or local outreach.
> Praying a weekly rosary as a family, or perhaps with friends or neighbors.
> Going to confession.
These simple steps can transform the way we experience summer—not as a break from our faith, but as a deepening of it.
A summer of invitation: be bold
Lastly, summer is a season of encounter. We see old friends at reunions, connect with neighbors at cookouts, and welcome visitors into our communities. This is the perfect time to step out of our comfort zones and extend an invitation: invite someone to join you at Mass; bring a friend along on a pilgrimage; share your story of hope—how God has worked in your life and why you continue to trust in Him.
The world is in desperate need of the hope we possess in Christ. Let us not keep it to ourselves, especially in this Jubilee Year of Hope.
