A Holy Year in Rome: The Complete Pilgrim's Guide for the Year of Mercy

It's a rare privilege to live during a Jubilee Year. Indeed, only 30 such Holy Years have occurred in the 700 years since Pope Boniface VIII announced the first in 1300.

In this definitive guide to the Jubilee of Mercy, EWTN's Rome Correspondent, Joan Lewis, takes you back in time for a look at the history of Jubilees, and then brings you to the present with a visit to the seven pilgrim basilicas of Rome four of which must be visited by pilgrims to obtain a Holy Year indulgence.

You'll discover the immeasurable treasures of Rome and the Vatican, and you'll learn countless fun facts such as the difference between a church and a basilica, the significance of the Holy Doors, the key features of Catholic architecture, the liturgical customs that are unique to the Jubilee of Mercy, how to obtain an indulgence, and so much more.

Joan also shares with you the many special graces you can receive this year, as well as how to obtain forgiveness of punishment due to sin. And if you make the pilgrimage to Rome, you'll find here helpful travel tips, such as key holy sites to visit, ways to find St. Peter's dome, or how to get tickets to visit the scavi underneath the Vatican where St. Peter is entombed.

Whether you make a pilgrimage to Rome or are celebrating this extraordinary year in your own home, there's no better guide than EWTN's Joan Lewis.

With a B.A. in French at St. Mary’s College of Notre Dame, Indiana and a DiplÔme from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, Joan Lewis taught French for five years in the U.S. She moved to Rome and began an extensive journalism career, specializing in the Vatican. She was invited, in 1990, to work for the newly-created Vatican Information Service in the Holy See Press Office as the English language writer and editor.