Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee 2025 Concert, presented by the university’s Department of English, Music, and the Arts and the Catholic Identity Advisory Committee, showcased the musical talents of students and faculty members.
Saint Leo University shared messages of hope for the community and the world on Wednesday, October 8, at its Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee 2025 Concert in the Saint Leo Abbey Church. The event, presented by the university’s Department of English, Music, and the Arts and the Catholic Identity Advisory Committee, included music, songs, and words about hope.
From African American spirituals like Go Down Moses to contemporary Christian tunes like Hold on to Me by Lauren Daigle, to the classic rock of The Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, the event showcased the musical and vocal talents of students and faculty while highlighting themes of hope and renewal.
“Our world hungers for hope,” said senior Luigi Meschino, president of the Student Government Union. “Wars, poverty, injustice, all diminish and almost destroy human dignity and the joy of human life.”
Meschino noted that the late Pope Francis declared the Jubilee Year of Hope that began in December 2025, saying, “In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring … Looking to the future with hope entails having enthusiasm for life and a readiness to share it … The coming Jubilee will thus be a Holy Year marked by the hope that does not fade, our hope in God.”
In his welcome to the concert, Meschino said, “May the words, songs, and music that we hear and experience lead us to become heralds of hope!”
Dr. Edward DeBerri, chair of the Catholic Identity Advisory Committee, shared the words of Pope Leo XIV: “Where there is evil, we must seek the comfort and consolation that can overcome it. In the Church, this means never being alone. Resting your head on a comforting shoulder. Finding someone who cries with you and gives you strength. All are signs of love. Where pain is deep, the hope that comes from communion must be even stronger. And this hope does not disappoint.”
Saint Leo students and faculty members provided the music of hope in many forms. From Handel’s Let the Bright Seraphim, featuring a trumpet solo by Dr. Orlando Ruiz and piano by Jeffrey Chodil, to the beautiful rendition of The Prayer by Dr. Cynthia Selph, director of Saint Leo’s music program, and Chris Romeo, vocalist and faculty member, the music created a sense of belonging and joy for those attending.
“A jubilee calls us to remember, to rejoice, and to renew our commitments,” Saint Leo University President Jim Burkee said. He quoted St. Paul, who in Romans 5:5 stated, “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”
The concert also served as a call for Saint Leo to become a university that hopes. “Let me offer three simple practices,” Burkee said. “First, we remember. The Benedictine tradition teaches us that memory matters — remembering who we are and whose we are. Second: We accompany. At Saint Leo, hospitality is not a courtesy; it’s a habit of the heart. Third: We build. Ora et labora — pray and work. Hope is not a feeling we wait for. It is a future we build together.”
Saint Leo’s Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee 2025 Concert served as a reminder that “hope has a melody,” Burkee concluded. “Sometimes, it’s a chorus we all can sing; sometimes it’s a quiet harmony beneath the noise of the day. But it’s always there, asking us to add our voice.”
Upcoming Performances
Saint Leo University will host its annual Christmas Celebration on Wednesday, December 3, and the Department of English, Music, and the Arts will present two holiday concerts: 4 p.m., at Holy Name Monastery, 12138 Wichers Road, St. Leo, FL, and 7 p.m., at the Saint Leo Abbey Church with parking at University Campus, 33701 County Road 52, St. Leo, FL.