By Peter Willott
Beneath sunny skies and the live oaks of Mission Nombre de Dios, families from across the Diocese of St. Augustine gathered May 31 to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee of Families, or “Family Fest,” a day of prayer, community and celebration as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope.
The event, themed as a day of “faith, fellowship and fun,” welcomed Catholics of all ages for a program that included the celebration of the Eucharist, Eucharistic adoration, confession, live Christian music, engaging speakers, children’s activities and a festive Catholic marketplace. It was timed to coincide with the Vatican’s own celebration of the Jubilee for Families, reinforcing a sense of spiritual unity with the universal church.
“This day isn’t just about fun,” said Mike Day, director of the Office of Family Life for the Diocese of St. Augustine and a coordinator of the event, in welcoming remarks to attendees. “This day, this Jubilee of Families, is being celebrated by the church. We are celebrating alongside Pope Leo and Catholics around the world.”
The festival began with a Mass celebrated by priests from throughout the diocese. Father Clay Ludwig, vocation director for the diocese, concelebrated the Mass and emphasized the sacredness of the day.
“We are here to celebrate the gift of families,” Father Ludwig said during his homily. “We remember that it was here in St. Augustine, on this very sacred ground, that the first Mass in what is now the United States was celebrated in 1565. And now the present-day church gathers to celebrate in that same faith.”
Following Mass, families were invited to take part in a Jubilee pilgrimage experience and enter into Eucharistic adoration at the historic National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche on the missiongrounds. Confession was also available under the shade of nearby trees led by diocesan priests.
As the day continued, the sounds of laughter from children echoed across the mission property as families enjoyed the petting zoo, inflatable games and craft stations. Food trucks offered lunch while local Catholic vendors and ministries showcased religious gifts, literature and other items.
Speaker Cameron Fradd, a Catholic mother, podcaster and evangelist, delivered a heartfelt and humorous talk on the beauty and messiness of family life.
“We’re not perfect families, and we don’t need to be,” Fradd said. “There’s only one Holy Family. But we are called to be holy and that includes being real about our struggles.”
Fradd’s talk touched on her personal experiences with motherhood, suffering, marriage and faith. She offered encouragement to parents trying to lead their children to Christ in the midst of busy, often chaotic home life.
“We need to stop pretending holiness means perfection,” she said. “Jesus wants our hearts, not our flawless routines. A messy rosary prayed with love is more pleasing to Our Lady than a perfect one said with frustration.”
She reminded parents that their children often live in a “different story,” one that sees the world with wonder and imagination, and that part of parenting is learning to embrace that perspective with joy, patience and gratitude.
Later in the afternoon, Bishop Erik Pohlmeier joined the festivities, where he visited with families and led a solemn Eucharistic procession from the shrine to the main stage to impart a final benediction.
“In this Jubilee Year of Hope, we turn our hearts to the family,” Bishop Pohlmeier said. “It is in the family that we learn to love and be loved. It is where we first encounter God and the truths of our faith. You, families, are the foundation of the church.”
“We always celebrate life. God is the giver of life, and if we’re going to have a jubilee of hope, you can’t help but be filled with hope when you see a child. It draws out of us the best of who we are, that reminder of the power of God at work in us,” the bishop continued.
The Jubilee Family Fest was one of several diocesan events inspired by the Vatican’s Jubilee Year calendar. Day said the diocese worked to align its celebration with the global church’s events in Rome.
“Each weekend this year, the church is lifting up a different group, from artists and health care workers to the elderly and youth,” Day said. “Today was the day the church honored families. So, we wanted to do the same here at home.”
Many who attended said the day helped foster a deeper sense of unity and hope.
“I think it’s important to have a space where we can just come together and be,” said Michelle Chapman, a mother of three from Corpus Christi Parish in St. Augustine. “You see kids playing, parents connecting and everyone growing in faith. It’s powerful.”
Maureen Shilkunis, director of Human Life and Dignity Ministry for the diocese and a coordinator of the day, agreed. “In today’s world, families are often overlooked or undervalued. But this day, and the church’s teaching, reminds us that family is at the heart of everything.”
Though this was the diocese’s first time organizing a Jubilee Family Fest, organizers say it likely won’t be the last.
“There’s something deeply meaningful about bringing families together on this sacred ground,” Day said. “We hope to make this an annual tradition, a day to rejoice in God’s gift of family and to celebrate the church at its most essential level — the family.”
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