Catholic United Financial is a credit union — a financial institution. You wouldn’t normally include such a place on your list of pilgrimage destinations, but for the Jubilee Year 2025, the St. Cloud office is one not to miss.
CUF has partnered with the Diocese of St. Cloud to sponsor the “Jubilee Passport: Pilgrims of Hope” project. During the Jubilee Year, Catholics are encouraged to visit the sites listed in the passport or come up with their own pilgrimage options.
In the papal bull announcing the 2025 Jubilee Year, Pope Francis asks the faithful to find “suitable ways for the Holy Year to be planned and celebrated with deep faith, lively hope and active charity.” The Jubilee Passport is one of those ways.
Pilgrims are encouraged to make a special stop during the year at CUF’s downtown St. Cloud location during normal business hours to pray, reflect on the theme of hope and visit with CUF staff.
“We invite everyone to come in and check out our financial center, meet our team and view our jubilee display,” said Emily Ripplinger, manager of the St. Cloud branch. “We are always excited to meet new people and hear their stories.”
One thing pilgrims will see when they visit the CUF office is, “The Magnificat,” a painting created by Catholic artist Christopher Santer of Pacem Studio in St. Paul that is on loan for the next year. The work features a depiction of Mary and Jesus with the words, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” from Luke’s Gospel. Watch for an in-depth story about Santer’s art in a future post.
“It is truly a piece of art that everyone should come and enjoy,” Ripplinger said.
Although they haven’t had any pilgrims stop by yet, Ripplinger says that members are asking lots of questions when they see the display.
As a member-owned, not-for-profit financial services organization, CUF believes in connecting people of faith, protecting their future and generously impacting parishes, schools, and communities, Ripplinger said.
The organization prioritizes living their Catholic values every day and supporting the Pilgrims of Hope passport project is a way to do just that. It also is a way for them to connect the current and next generations by encouraging Catholics of all ages to explore and develop their faith, she said.
The Catholic United Financial Center is located at 120 10th Ave. N., St. Cloud, and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to noon on Friday.
For more information about Catholic United Financial, visit catholicunitedfinancial.org
For more information about the Jubilee Year and other related resources, visit https://stcdio.org/jubilee-2025-pilgrims-of-hope/.
Great article, Dianne! We are excited to be a sponsor of the pilgrimage! We welcome everyone to our credit union 🙂