The Outreach apostolate, led by Jesuit James Martin, will organize a new pilgrimage from September 25 to 27, 2026 aimed at people who identify as LGBT. The initiative comes just one year after the controversial pilgrimage held in Rome during the 2025 Jubilee and will take place in New York City, where participants will visit some of the most emblematic sites of the LGBT movement and the AIDS crisis.
According to the organization itself, the program aims to bring together people who identify as LGBT, their allies, and those engaged in pastoral work with this community. Its objectives include remembering the victims of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, reflecting on the evolution of this pastoral care, and continuing to promote the mission of Outreach.
James Martin has presented the initiative as the continuation of the pilgrimage organized in Rome during the Holy Year and has stated that New York is “a historic place for LGBT Catholics and for LGBT people in general.”
From Rome to New York
The new event follows the pilgrimage held during the 2025 Jubilee, which was attended by between 1,000 and 1,400 people from more than twenty countries. That initiative included a prayer vigil, a Mass at the Church of the Gesù presided over by Bishop Francesco Savino, and passage through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The inclusion of that pilgrimage in the official Jubilee calendar sparked significant controversy. In response to the interpretations that arose, the Vatican explicitly clarified that its presence on the program was solely for organizational reasons related to access to the Holy Door and that it did not constitute an endorsement by the Holy See of either the event or the organizing groups.
Before that pilgrimage, Leo XIV granted James Martin a private audience. Subsequently, the Jesuit stated that the Pontiff had encouraged his pastoral work. However, the Pope did not meet with the pilgrims during the Jubilee.
Stonewall, the AIDS Memorial, and Jesuit Parishes
The pilgrimage will begin with a Mass at the headquarters of America Media, the media outlet where James Martin serves as editor, followed by a welcome dinner.
The following day, participants will visit the Stonewall National Monument, considered one of the main symbols of the LGBT movement in the United States, as well as the AIDS Memorial Park. They will then go to the Jesuit Church of St. Francis Xavier, where they will learn about the parish’s relationship with the LGBT community and attend a Mass presided over by Jesuit Michael Zampelli.
The program also includes a lecture by Sister Karen Helfenstein, former head of Community Services at the Catholic hospital St. Vincent’s during the height of the AIDS epidemic, a visit to the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in collaboration with the parish ministry Out at St. Paul, and will conclude on Sunday with a Mass presided over by James Martin at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola.