Pilgrims of hope on the path of peace: a Discernment Camino and Jubilee to celebrate decades of consecrated life
This fall, three Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi—Tammy Grady, Angie Hilbun, and Renée Pomarico—celebrated milestone anniversaries of consecrated life in a special way: by taking 14 young women on a transformative pilgrimage on the Camino, culminating in Rome at the Jubilee of Consecrated Life. They were accompanied by Fr. Russ Ward, LC, who served as their chaplain on the Camino, and Fr. Anton Vogelsang, LC, who joined them in Rome.
“He has been so faithful to me.”
As Angie Hilbun was nearing her 25th anniversary of consecrated life, she knew she wanted to give Jesus a special gift as an expression of her gratitude—for her vocation, and for his fidelity throughout these 25 years. This inspired her to arrange a week-long Camino pilgrimage for young women discerning where God might be calling them in their own lives. “Jesus called me, and he has been so faithful to me, so in return, I wanted to give him hearts open to doing the Father’s will.”
“A lot of young women that I accompany feel stuck, and they don’t know what their next step in discernment should be,”
says Angie, who ministers to college students and young professionals in Houston, Texas. Recognizing this, the Discernment Camino was designed to provide plenty of space for prayer, fellowship, and silence in which the young women could experience a personal encounter with Christ and be able to hear what next steps he might be calling them to take in their discernment and relationship with him.
In the lives of busy young adults, this quiet space for focused discernment can be hard to come by. “We hoped to give the young women time away from the ordinary distractions of everyday life to listen to the voice of God in their hearts, and to be able to share what they’re going through with other young women experiencing the same things,” says Renée Pomarico, who serves as the international director of communications for the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi and, like Angie, is celebrating her 25th anniversary of consecrated life this year. “It’s a gift to have the space to talk and listen and express what you are going through, to be open to the voice of God and to let him be heard.”
Angie and Renée were joined by Tammy Grady, who, on September 1st of this year, celebrated 30 years of consecrated life. Tammy is currently serving young adults in Dallas as well as ministering to college students at Benedictine College in Kansas. She has devoted much of her 30 years of consecration to the ministry of vocation awareness and discernment, and to the pastoral care of young adults.
For Tammy, the Camino was a week of prayer and sisterhood, and just one more way through which she endeavored to fulfill the mission that God had placed in her hands 30 years ago. “One morning, as we were walking in silence and watching the sun come up, I saw in front of me the shadows of the girls who were walking the Camino with us. In that moment, I just felt extremely blessed and grateful for my vocation, which really is to walk with people in everyday life, to direct them, and to lead them toward heaven.”
At the end of the Camino, in Santiago de Compostela, Tammy devotionally renewed her vows for her 30th anniversary of consecrated life.
Uniquely called according to his will
“I got to know each of the women as we walked the Camino, and even though our lives are so different and we all have our individual struggles and calling, Jesus was our common friend and motivation.”
Arriving in Santiago de Compostela just in time for a Mass shared with pilgrims from all over the world was overwhelmingly emotional for Divya, as was witnessing Tammy renew her vows after 30 years of consecrated life. “Seeing Tammy renew her vows and her vocation to serve Christ encouraged me to stay close to Christ, and made me long to serve him, too.”
Pilgrims of hope on the path of peace
After completing their pilgrimage in Spain, the group continued to Rome for the Jubilee of Consecrated Life, which took place from October 8–12 and brought together priests and men and women in consecrated life from across the world for a time of prayer, communion, and reflection on the central theme: “Pilgrims of hope on the path of peace.” The week-long event included opening and closing Masses with Pope Leo XIV, a prayer vigil presided by Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and opportunities for moments of mission and encounter throughout Rome.
Participating in the Jubilee in Rome alongside Angie and Renée and their group of Camino pilgrims were some of the very first women to become Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi—Margarita Estrada, Patricia Bannon, María Laura Moreno, Griselda Suárez, Teresa Vaca, Marta Mijangos, María Carmen Rodríguez, and Luz Elena Mijares celebrated more than fifty years of consecrated life! At the Mass of the Jubilee of Consecrated Life, with Pope Leo XIV presiding, they joined hundreds of men and women from all over the world to devotionally renew their consecration to Christ.
And for both Angie and Renée, this opportunity to renew their vows in the heart of the Church was the perfect culmination of a journey dedicated to listening to God and letting him lead—both for them, and for the young women whom they had journeyed alongside.
“In Rome at the Jubilee, they could see different communities, they could experience our community, and they could see the Pope affirming women who have consecrated their lives to God,”
says Angie.
Completing their pilgrimage journey at the Jubilee was especially poignant for Angie and Renée since visits to Rome played a vital role in their own callings. “Concluding the pilgrimage in Rome during the Jubilee of Consecrated Life with other Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, renewing our vows, living the Mass of the Jubilee with the Pope, and being with so many other consecrated people in different vocations in the Church was very powerful, and I think it really brought deep down into our hearts all that God was saying on the Camino,” says Renée. “God has given me so much more in these 25 years than I could have ever imagined, and I was able to live that gratitude with young women that he may be calling, and share with them the beauty of following God, of saying ‘yes.’”
“Heaven on earth”
For pilgrim Silvia Margova, the entire Camino journey—walking, praying, singing, and having deep, healing conversations with the Consecrated Women and her fellow pilgrims—was full of joy and grace. “We had plenty of time to think, contemplate, or just simply soak in Jesus’ love for us. It all felt surreal, a little piece of heaven here on earth.”
But attending the Jubilee in Rome and witnessing Angie and Renée renew their vows was particularly moving for Silvia, as a testimony of the faith, fidelity, and true union with Christ that she hopes to live out in her own life. “I feel truly blessed to have been able to walk this Camino and Rome pilgrimage with this community, and hope that God’s graces will bring fruit in my life according to his plans.”
“Be not afraid!”
For Angie, Renée, and Tammy, discernment, in whatever form it takes, is an act of trust, a leap of faith, and a journey on which it is the Lord who takes the lead. “Be not afraid,” says Tammy of the adventure of discernment. “Open your heart to Christ and continue in that personal relationship with him. Ask him to lead you one step of the way on the journey, this path of love with our Lord.”
And Angie points out that whatever the outcome, whether a woman is called to the consecrated life or not, through the discernment process, she is ultimately drawn closer to Christ.
“Her love is stronger and more generous, because in the process of discernment, whatever her vocation, she chooses Christ, and she receives Christ in the end.”
Ready to go deeper?
For tips on how to discern your vocation, recommended reading, debunking discernment myths, and more resources on discerning God’s call in your life, check out the discernment resources at consecratedwomen.org.
Interested in making your own Discernment Camino? Join Tammy Grady on the Camino on May 19–25, 2026! Email tgrady@regnumchristi.net for more information.
