“Good indeed is the LORD, His mercy endures forever, his faithfulness lasts through every generation.” Psalms 100:5
Dear Deacon Tom and Mary Jane:
I extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to you and all the good people of the Pilgrim Center of Hope on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the PCH! I am very pleased to hear that you are celebrating this very momentous occasion as an evangelizing apostolate with the motto of “Guiding people to Christ.”
Your work and mission has touched thousands and thousands of the faithful in the Archdiocese of San Antonio through conferences for men, women and seniors. You also touch many lives through your Media Outreach programs and have so eloquently served many pilgrims through authentic spiritual pilgrimages in the Holy Land and abroad.
On this important celebration, I pray that the Lord may continue to bless all of you in the Pilgrim Center of Hope, may you continue to be a strong community of faith, forming hearts and minds to become transforming members and future leaders of society, and at the same time, fostering a close encounter with the Living God.
May Jesus, through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, grant you peace and joy.
Dear Deacon Tom and Mary Jane:
My most heartfelt congratulations and prayerful best wishes to you and all the staff of the Pilgrim Center of Hope on its 25th Anniversary! I am very happy to know that you are celebrating this momentous occasion.
The Pilgrim Center of Hope has been like a home for thousands of people throughout these 25 years. It has been a community of faith where many brothers and sisters have had the opportunity to nourish their faith and grow spiritually, through pilgrimages, conferences, and media outreach.
As you gather under the motto: “Guiding people to Christ,” we reflect on the words of Pope Francis when he said, “Christians are called to a mission of leading others to an encounter with Jesus Christ, in order that every person might grow in his or her individual call to holiness.”
I pray that the Pilgrim Center of Hope may continue to be the sanctuary for spiritual growth, leading people each day to a closer encounter with the Living God.
May Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, grant you peace and joy.
Dear Mary Jane and Tom,
Praised be Jesus Christ! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens…He chose us in him…to be holy” (Eph. 1:3-4)
Congratulations to the both of you. The Lord has called you to this ministry of evangelization. You heard that call and accepted it with your very committed ‘Yes!’ I am very grateful to the both of you for your Faith, your Commitment and your Fidelity to that commitment. I could not be more proud of you. It was obviously your faith in Christ that allowed you to make this commitment. It was a deep sense of Hope that drove this commitment for Twenty-Five years. You have certainly confirmed the Scripture passage that proclaims, “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Rom. 5:5) Then, even in the darkest hours, you remained faithful to this call and commitment. Thank you!
I am so glad that you are celebrating this Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Evangelization Center known as the Pilgrim Center of Hope. I have had the privilege of accompanying the two of you and many, many pilgrims on a variety of Pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to the Second Holy Land following the Footsteps of St. Paul in Turkey and Greece. Each was edifying for me; and by the faces of the pilgrims, I know that they, too, were very moved by the experiences they had. Hence, their Faith in Christ was strengthened also. I hope to have the privilege to accompanying you again!
I also applaud you for the programs that you have offered to the Archdiocese of San Antonio and to the parishes that are part of the Archdiocese. These have also contributed to the strengthening of the Faith of the participants. In many cases, these programs have also brought people to the rich spirituality of the Catholic Church.
Finally, I wish to thank you for all the sacrifices that both of you have made so that you could be faithful to the call you received and the commitment that you have made to do the Lord’s will. Both of you have left your civil jobs so that you could dedicate your lives totally the mission of the Church; “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” (Mt. 28:19) You have given up the security of continued employment and the comfort of a typical home in order to become and remain Missionary Disciples of Christ. May God Blessings your future!
Send Your Personal Message
Share your message of congratulations with the staff of Pilgrim Center of Hope below…
Resource for the Church
We’ve trained lay evangelists and provided thousands of spiritual tools including rosaries, prayer guides, pamphlets, New Testament Bibles, presenters & presentations for spiritual renewal. Parishes, prison ministries, groups of youth/mothers/men/seniors, retirement centers, retreats, and other ministries have benefited.
A Place for Hope
Our Center has served as a home for hundreds of meetings including Bible studies, prayer & faith formation groups/training, retreats for women/men/youth/parish staff, and thousands of individual visitors encountering Jesus in the peaceful Chapel and entrusting us with their prayer intentions.
School of Evangelization
When the Archdiocese of San Antonio has needed a formal evangelization training model, Pilgrim Center of Hope has conducted Schools of Evangelization, offering New Evangelization Courses & Door-to-Door Training from our Founders’ experience visiting over 100,000 homes as door-to-door evangelists.
Street Evangelization & Gang Outreach
In our earliest years, Pilgrim Center of Hope partnered with the City Council of Churches to conduct street outreach to gang members through prayer and simple invitations to faith. We’ve also partnered with parishes to conduct Rosary Walks, encouraging parishioners to pray for God’s grace upon their neighborhoods.
Airport Catholic Information Booth
For several years, volunteers lent their smiling faces for millions of travelers at a Catholic Information Booth in the San Antonio International Airport. Visitors were pointed to churches in the area, and given free materials such as rosaries, prayer cards, and pamphlets.
Ministry of Pilgrimages
This ministry has renewed the faith of over 1,500 pilgrims from 31 states and 4 countries in small groups. Through journeys of faith internationally & locally, pilgrims encounter Christ and the Church through living witnesses. Their faith comes alive and God has poured out abundant graces: healings, awakened vocations, and more.
Relationship with Jerusalem Bishops
Since the 1990s, Pilgrim Center of Hope’s Ministry of Pilgrimages has maintained a constant relationship with the Latin Patriarchate (Diocese) of Jerusalem, which encompasses Roman Catholics of the Holy Land.
Media Outreach
Through Catholic TV and radio, Pilgrim Center of Hope’s weekly Catholicism Live! broadcast has brought Christ & his teachings to hundreds of thousands of individuals in approachable language for daily life. Still thousands more have been reached through a monthly newspaper column, weekly blogs, daily social media posts, video & more.
Catholic Women’s Conference
Since its inception in 2002, over ten thousand women & their families, from across the Southwest and beyond, have learned about their personal dignity as women, been encouraged in knowledge and love of God, and been inspired to use their feminine gifts for the transformation of family and society.
Catholic Men’s Conference
Since its founding in 2006, over five thousand men of all ages & their family members from across the Southwest and beyond, have gained a deeper understanding of their dignity as being created in the image and likeness of God, and were provided direction and resources to help transform themselves, their families, and society.
Catholic Seniors’ Conference
Responding to Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller’s call, we’ve served over 900 seniors, family members & caretakers since CSC’s inception in 2014; shedding light on the Church’s high regard for seniors, educating them about their dignity, encouraging them to know & love God, and inspiring them to continue sharing their wisdom & gifts.
Resource for the Church
We’ve trained lay evangelists and provided thousands of spiritual tools including rosaries, prayer guides, pamphlets, New Testament Bibles, presenters & presentations for spiritual renewal. Parishes, prison ministries, groups of youth/mothers/men/seniors, retirement centers, retreats, and other ministries have benefited.
A Place for Hope
Our Center has served as a home for hundreds of meetings including Bible studies, prayer & faith formation groups/training, retreats for women/men/youth/parish staff, and thousands of individual visitors encountering Jesus in the peaceful Chapel and entrusting us with their prayer intentions.
School of Evangelization
When the Archdiocese of San Antonio has needed a formal evangelization training model, Pilgrim Center of Hope has conducted Schools of Evangelization, offering New Evangelization Courses & Door-to-Door Training from our Founders’ experience visiting over 100,000 homes as door-to-door evangelists.
Street Evangelization & Gang Outreach
In our earliest years, Pilgrim Center of Hope partnered with the City Council of Churches to conduct street outreach to gang members through prayer and simple invitations to faith. We’ve also partnered with parishes to conduct Rosary Walks, encouraging parishioners to pray for God’s grace upon their neighborhoods.
Airport Catholic Information Booth
For several years, volunteers lent their smiling faces for millions of travelers at a Catholic Information Booth in the San Antonio International Airport. Visitors were pointed to churches in the area, and given free materials such as rosaries, prayer cards, and pamphlets.
Ministry of Pilgrimages
This ministry has invigorated and renewed the faith of over 1,500 pilgrims from 31 states and 4 countries in small groups. Through journeys of faith internationally & locally, pilgrims encounter Christ and the Church through living witnesses. Their faith comes alive and God has poured out abundant graces: healings, awakened vocations, and more.
Relationship with Jerusalem Bishops
Since the 1990s, Pilgrim Center of Hope’s Ministry of Pilgrimages has maintained a constant relationship with the Latin Patriarchate (Diocese) of Jerusalem, which encompasses Roman Catholics of the Holy Land.
Media Outreach
Through Catholic TV and radio, Pilgrim Center of Hope’s weekly Catholicism Live! broadcast has brought Christ & his teachings to hundreds of thousands of individuals in approachable language for daily life. Still thousands more have been reached through a monthly newspaper column, weekly blogs, daily social media posts, video & more.
Catholic Women’s Conference
Since its inception in 2002, over ten thousand women & their families, from across the Southwest and beyond, have learned about their personal dignity as women, been encouraged in knowledge and love of God, and been inspired to use their feminine gifts for the transformation of family and society.
Catholic Men’s Conference
Since its founding in 2006, over five thousand men of all ages & their family members from across the Southwest and beyond, have gained a deeper understanding of their dignity as being created in the image and likeness of God, and were provided direction and resources to help transform themselves, their families, and society.
Catholic Seniors’ Conference
Responding to Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller’s call, we’ve served over 900 seniors, family members & caretakers since CSC’s inception in 2014; shedding light on the Church’s high regard for seniors, educating them about their dignity, encouraging them to know & love God, and inspiring them to continue sharing their wisdom & gifts.
