Filipino volunteers play key role at Vatican’s Jubilee of Hope

VATICAN CITY – Filipino faith and service were strongly felt at the Vatican as Filipino volunteers took part in the Jubilee of Hope, assisting millions of pilgrims during the historic Holy Year.

Among them was Angie Uy, a Filipino-American nurse, who described her assignment inside St. Peter’s Basilica as the most meaningful part of her service.

“My most memorable moment was being assigned inside St. Peter’s Basilica. It felt like working for God inside His house – a very humbling experience,” Uy said.

Uy joined fellow Filipinos – many of them retired nurses, analysts, pharmacists, and technicians based in New York and New Jersey – who volunteered to assist pilgrims entering the Holy Door.

Filipino volunteers helped direct foot traffic for pilgrims and tourists while maintaining the solemn and prayerful atmosphere of the Jubilee pilgrimage.

“For me, volunteering is a form of personal prayer,” Uy shared. “Going out of your comfort zone and offering that service to God brings your prayers closer to Him.”

Like many Filipino pilgrims, Uy said her deepest prayer was to meet the Holy Father.

“Meeting Pope Leo XIV personally, holding his hands, and asking him to pray for your family is surreal. You feel so close to God. This would not have been possible if I had not volunteered during the Jubilee Year 2025,” she said.

Filipino-American nurse Angie Uy (center) with other Filipino volunteers at the Jubilee of Hope in the Vatican. (Contributed photo from Bodette Pacis)

Volunteer service during the Jubilee typically lasts seven days. Uy volunteered twice – from April 12 to 19, and again from November 29 to December 6 – returning to relive what she described as an unforgettable spiritual experience.

At the conclusion of the Jubilee, Uy was among 5,000 volunteers who joined the final procession through the Holy Door at 5 p.m. on January 5 that marked the end of the Holy Year and drew an estimated 33 million pilgrims and tourists.

That evening, volunteers participated in the final pilgrimage alongside officials of the Dicastery for Evangelization, led by Pro-Prefect Archbishop Rino Fisichella who carried the Jubilee’s wooden cross at the front of the procession.

The group paused in silence before the Holy Door, which Pope Leo XIV was supposed to close the following day, ahead of its reopening in 2033 for the Jubilee of the Redemption.

On January 10, Uy joined thousands of volunteers at a Special Audience held at the Paul VI Audience Hall, where Pope Leo XIV thanked the volunteers and institutions that contributed to the Jubilee of Hope. The Holy Father presented each volunteer with the Jubilee Crucifix – a miniature of the cross that accompanied pilgrims throughout the Holy Year.

“I bless you and wish you every good for this new year. Thank you,” the Pope said. — JMA, GMA Integrated News