blogtcs.com
Companion blog to The Catholic Sun, newspaper of the Diocese of Phoenix.
November 19, 2009
Nation’s parish turns 50
Filed under : From the Staff, Nation/World
The largest Catholic Church in North America turns 50 tomorrow. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington is not a parish or cathedral, but a national place of prayer and pilgrimage.
Happy birthday to America's Church (image from Web site).
One million visitors come annually with priests offering the sacrament of reconciliation five hours a day and celebrating six Masses, according to a Catholic News Service article.
Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have visited the shrine, the article said, and made it a point to visit the chapel dedicated to the patroness of their respective homelands.
The shrine has more than 70 chapels and oratories. Read more about the shrine’s complex history.
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