Diocese makes preparations for pilgrimage to Washington, D.C.
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By David Karas | Correspondent
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, with its Byzantine-Romanesque style architecture defining its Great Upper Church, its Crypt Church and more than 70 chapels and oratories, has long been a destination of pilgrims from throughout the United States – so much so that the edifice has come to be known as “America’s Catholic Church.”
Faithful throughout the Diocese of Trenton will have the opportunity to visit their spiritual home during a biennial retreat, which will take place Nov. 7 and is expected to draw thousands from the Diocese to the Washington, landmark.
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has extended an invitation for those throughout the Diocese to join him on the pilgrimage, the third journey of its kind that he has led since being ordained bishop. The day-long event has been themed “In Communion with Jesus: A Pilgrimage to Mary’s House.”
“This shrine is a spiritual home to all of us,” said Father Jeffrey E. Lee, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck, and diocesan director of pilgrimages. “It is a place for us to encounter God. It is a place for us to beseech the intercession of Blessed Mary upon our Church, our parish, our family.”
The pilgrimage, which will include Mass celebrated in the Basilica’s Great Upper Church by Bishop O’Connell and concelebrated by a contingent of priests, will feature pilgrims hailing from all corners of the Diocese, with scores of parishes hosting buses making the drive to the nation’s capital. In years past, several thousand faithful have flocked to the National Shrine to join members of their diocesan family in prayer and reflection.
“There have been years where it was standing room only in the Basilica,” said Carolyn Norbut, of the diocesan Office of Worship. She said that this year’s pilgrimage includes a special welcome for children to participate, a component she hopes will draw even more to attend.
“This year, the Bishop has made a special invitation to families who have presented a child for their First Holy Communion during 2014 or 2015,” said Father Lee. “Bishop O’Connell hopes to encourage these families and their children to continue to make Holy Communion a cornerstone of their family life.”
Past pilgrimages have featured prayer and the recitation of the Rosary en route to Washington, and various opportunities for prayer, blessings and receiving the Sacraments, including Reconciliation, during the day.
“Pilgrimage is an ancient practice. Pilgrims go to give thanks, ask forgiveness, seek guidance, atone for sinfulness, (and to) be renewed through the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and the Eucharist,” said Father Lee. “Pilgrims learn about how God is revealed throughout salvation history, in the present and continues in the future. In short, a pilgrimage can be viewed as an encounter with God and others on the journey of Christian discipleship.”
The Basilica, dedicated to the Blessed Mother, patroness of the United States under the title of her Immaculate Conception, is the largest Catholic church in North America and one of 10 largest churches in the world. It also hosts the largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical art in the world, and the worship space is visited by nearly one million visitors annually from across the country and around the world.
According to the Basilica’s mission statement, “Mary’s Shrine invites people from across the country and beyond into the saving moment of faith, hope and charity, so that they may be reconciled and transformed into living symbols of Christ’s presence in the world.”
Father Lee reflected on the space which will host the diocesan family in just a few months.
“The artwork adorning the structure represents many cultures and styles,” he said, pointing in particular towards the various elements honoring pilgrims that have come before them. “The shrines throughout the building recall those immigrants who have made the Roman Catholic Church in the USA such a vibrant church and their own piety and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
The pilgrimage is being coordinated by the diocesan Office of Worship and the Office of Pastoral Life and Mission.
More details will be announced in the coming weeks. Visit http://www.dioceseoftrenton.org/pilgrimage-to-marys-house/ to learn more.
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By David Karas | Correspondent
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, with its Byzantine-Romanesque style architecture defining its Great Upper Church, its Crypt Church and more than 70 chapels and oratories, has long been a destination of pilgrims from throughout the United States – so much so that the edifice has come to be known as “America’s Catholic Church.”
Faithful throughout the Diocese of Trenton will have the opportunity to visit their spiritual home during a biennial retreat, which will take place Nov. 7 and is expected to draw thousands from the Diocese to the Washington, landmark.
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has extended an invitation for those throughout the Diocese to join him on the pilgrimage, the third journey of its kind that he has led since being ordained bishop. The day-long event has been themed “In Communion with Jesus: A Pilgrimage to Mary’s House.”
“This shrine is a spiritual home to all of us,” said Father Jeffrey E. Lee, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck, and diocesan director of pilgrimages. “It is a place for us to encounter God. It is a place for us to beseech the intercession of Blessed Mary upon our Church, our parish, our family.”
The pilgrimage, which will include Mass celebrated in the Basilica’s Great Upper Church by Bishop O’Connell and concelebrated by a contingent of priests, will feature pilgrims hailing from all corners of the Diocese, with scores of parishes hosting buses making the drive to the nation’s capital. In years past, several thousand faithful have flocked to the National Shrine to join members of their diocesan family in prayer and reflection.
“There have been years where it was standing room only in the Basilica,” said Carolyn Norbut, of the diocesan Office of Worship. She said that this year’s pilgrimage includes a special welcome for children to participate, a component she hopes will draw even more to attend.
“This year, the Bishop has made a special invitation to families who have presented a child for their First Holy Communion during 2014 or 2015,” said Father Lee. “Bishop O’Connell hopes to encourage these families and their children to continue to make Holy Communion a cornerstone of their family life.”
Past pilgrimages have featured prayer and the recitation of the Rosary en route to Washington, and various opportunities for prayer, blessings and receiving the Sacraments, including Reconciliation, during the day.
“Pilgrimage is an ancient practice. Pilgrims go to give thanks, ask forgiveness, seek guidance, atone for sinfulness, (and to) be renewed through the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and the Eucharist,” said Father Lee. “Pilgrims learn about how God is revealed throughout salvation history, in the present and continues in the future. In short, a pilgrimage can be viewed as an encounter with God and others on the journey of Christian discipleship.”
The Basilica, dedicated to the Blessed Mother, patroness of the United States under the title of her Immaculate Conception, is the largest Catholic church in North America and one of 10 largest churches in the world. It also hosts the largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical art in the world, and the worship space is visited by nearly one million visitors annually from across the country and around the world.
According to the Basilica’s mission statement, “Mary’s Shrine invites people from across the country and beyond into the saving moment of faith, hope and charity, so that they may be reconciled and transformed into living symbols of Christ’s presence in the world.”
Father Lee reflected on the space which will host the diocesan family in just a few months.
“The artwork adorning the structure represents many cultures and styles,” he said, pointing in particular towards the various elements honoring pilgrims that have come before them. “The shrines throughout the building recall those immigrants who have made the Roman Catholic Church in the USA such a vibrant church and their own piety and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
The pilgrimage is being coordinated by the diocesan Office of Worship and the Office of Pastoral Life and Mission.
More details will be announced in the coming weeks. Visit http://www.dioceseoftrenton.org/pilgrimage-to-marys-house/ to learn more.
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