Before the Jubilee Year of Hope began, Fr. Brian Cummings, SSE had already gone to Rome on a pilgrimage of a more interior sort.

 

The word “sabbatical” has roots in pre-Roman Judea; originally it was a secular term, referring to the practice of farmers allowing a field to lie fallow once every seven years. Doing so allowed the soil to replenish its nutrients and rejuvenate itself, readying it for the years that followed. We often associate the word today with creatives or professionals taking an extended holiday, an opportunity to unplug and recharge while the days are long and the sun is warm; however, the practice of priestly sabbaticals extends back to the earliest days of the Church. Since the time of the Apostles, priests taking extended periods of time away from their usual duties to meditate, pray, and grow in faith has been a common way to replenish the soil of one’s interior life.

Fr. Cummings’ duties are more varied than some; a critical component of the Society of Saint Edmund’s presence in Vermont, he spends his time ministering both to the students of Saint Michael’s College and pilgrims and visitors to Saint Anne’s Shrine in Isle la Motte. Between campus ministry, leading retreats, and education, he wears many “hats” over the course of a typical week. It stands to follow, then, that such a priest would choose a sabbatical in Rome itself; not only to rest, but to grow deeper in faith.

 

“The Pontifical North American College has had a sabbatical program for priests since the 1970s” explained Fr. Cummings. “Several priests who participated in the program spoke highly of it so I thought it would be a good opportunity given that I had never been to Rome or Italy before.” The College’s sabbatical program is equal parts retreat and educational program – prayer and pilgrimage are punctuated with classes, lectures, and intensive deep-dives into topics ranging from Church history to theology. Excursions to Nicaea, Ephesus, and Constantinople supplemented numerous trips to pilgrimage sites in Italy; “Particularly memorable visits were Mass and the Caravaggio paintings in St. John’s Cathedral in the capital city of Valletta.”

 

It was during this sabbatical that Fr. Cummings became part of Church history – on April 21, 2025, his final full day in Rome, Pope Francis died.

Having concelebrated Easter Sunday Mass with the Holy Father the previous day, Fr. Cummings was in disbelief; in an interview with Vermont Public, Fr. Cummings recalled: “I was actually tying my shoes and readying to go out, and as I was getting ready to walk out the door, this BBC news flash came on my phone, and I was absolutely stunned.” Having observed and celebrated Holy Week with the Pope, Fr. Cummings reflected on Pope Francis’ final days, spent in service to the Church and to the many pilgrims in the city: “Nothing was going to prevent him from being with his people.”

 

The passing of a beloved pontiff might seem, on the surface, as a dour end to an otherwise successful sabbatical; certainly, the mood shift within the city was palpable. “There’s like an electricity in this Jubilee Year of Hope in the Basilica normally” explained Fr. Cummings; “and that was kind of missing…It was more reflective, the people were quieter, even though there are, you know, hundreds of people walking through the Holy Doors for the pilgrimage.” Pope Francis is only the second pope to die during an Ordinary Jubilee year, and the first in over three centuries; as such, Vatican City, busy even at the dullest of times, was filled with pilgrims from around the world. Fr. Cummings, along with hundreds of fellow priests, bore witness to the end of a papacy which saw tremendous growth in parts of the Church often considered missionary territory: Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The theme of reaching out to the marginalized and forgotten was recurring in Pope Francis’ writings and public addresses, and one which resonates with Catholics in America in particular. Fr. Cummings feels blessed to have been in Rome at the time; “Celebrating Holy Week liturgies in Rome was truly an inspiring experience” he said. “I concelebrated all the liturgies scheduled at St. Peter’s Basilica. I was blessed to be in the presence of Pope Franics at the Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday celebrations. I was present for the last public blessing given by Pope Francis on Easter Sunday and was only a few hundred feet from him as he was on the balcony above where the concelebrants were seated.”

 

Reflecting upon his travels, Fr. Cummings imparted some words of advice on those planning a pilgrimage to the Eternal City for the Jubilee Year. “My suggestion to anyone visiting Rome is to try to travel with someone who has been there before. Understand that you will never see everything on one trip or maybe even in a lifetime of trips as there is so much to see and take in. But at the very least try to speak with someone who has been there or studied in Rome.”

 

Finally, in between study, prayer, and travel, Fr. Cummings reminds pilgrims not to forget the simpler joys of traveling to Italy: “Pray with joy, and enjoy the food!”