Rome is a popular destination this Jubilee Year, but don’t dismay if you can’t get there in the next six months. There are several places in the area that are perfect for a family pilgrimage. The diocese currently has eight churches designated as Holy Year sites by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge:
The Cathedral of St. Thomas More, Arlington
The Basilica of St. Mary, Alexandria
Corpus Christi, Aldie
Our Lady of Hope, Potomac Falls
St. John Bosco, Woodstock
St. John the Evangelist, Warrenton
St. Patrick, Fredericksburg
St. Paul Mission, Hague
Read more on how to make a pilgrimage at arlingtondiocese.org/holy-year-tour/.
Beyond Virginia, additional Holy Year pilgrimage locations await.
The National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Md., has a stone from the grotto of Lourdes in France where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous. Visitors can receive a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions of sacramental confession, reception of holy Communion, prayer for the intentions of our Holy Father, and total detachment to all sin, including venial sin. For more info on the grotto, go to nsgrotto.org.
The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, also located in Emmitsburg, is an official pilgrimage site of this Jubilee Year in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s remains are entombed in the Altar of Relics at the Basilica. Families can visit the Seton Museum, historic houses and explore the shrine. For more info on the shrine and other activities, go to setonshrine.org.
Little Rome, also known as the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, has many religious sites a stone’s throw from each other. Explore the beautiful gardens at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land on Quincy Street, N.E. It is serving as “Little Jerusalem” in America and contains full sized replicas of shrines from the Holy Land.
Gorgeous inside and out, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, adjacent to the campus of Catholic University, has regular daily and weekend Masses, a cafeteria and large gift shop, and frequent opportunities for confession. It is the largest Roman Catholic Church in America.
The Saint John Paul II National Shrine, just up the street on Harewood Road, is a great museum for the entire family. At the shrine is a first-class relic of St. John Paull II’s blood in a glass ampoule. Check their schedule for special events and exhibits. For more info on the JPII Shrine, go to jp2shrine.org.
