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Diocesan priest is rector of ‘America’s Church’

Dave Borowski | Catholic Herald

Msgr. Walter Rossi has served as director and rector of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington for the last four years.

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The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception in Washington is one of the largest churches in
the world. The man who gives both temporal and spiritual
direction to the shrine is a diocesan priest from Scranton,
Pa.

Msgr. Walter R. Rossi has been with the shrine for 12 years,
the last four as the director and rector, welcoming nearly 1
million visitors annually and managing a staff of more than
180 employees. It’s a challenging job, much like the head of
a large business, but Msgr. Rossi loves what he does.

“This is the best job in the world,” he said.

The shrine is celebrating its 50th anniversary in November
with a yearlong jubilee celebration leading up to the Nov. 20
anniversary. The cornerstone was laid in 1920, and the Crypt
Church was completed in 1926. The Great Upper Church was
finished and dedicated in 1959.

Msgr. Rossi was born in Scranton and raised in the adjoining
borough of Dunmore, a town with a population of about 14,000
people. He is a graduate of the University of Scranton and
studied for the priesthood at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers,
N.Y. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Scranton in
1987.

After ordination, he served as parochial vicar of St. Matthew
Church in East Stroudsburg, Pa., and St. Nicholas Church in
Wilkes-Barre. While at St. Nicholas, he was appointed
director of pilgrimages, which led him to Washington, D.C.,
and his relationship with the shrine. Msgr. Rossi still
considers St. Nicholas his church and celebrates Mass there
when he returns to the Wilkes-Barre area.

In 1990, he went to Washington to study at Catholic
University, eventually earning a licentiate in Canon Law.
While at Catholic, he frequently concelebrated Mass at the
shrine and heard confessions when asked. In 1996 he was
invited by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to
take over the job as pilgrimage director from Msgr. Roger
Roensch, when Msgr. Roensch was appointed to a position at
the Vatican.

“After consultation with my bishop, Bishop James Timlin in
those days, I accepted the position beginning in the spring
of 1997 so that I would be able to complete my canon law
degree,” Msgr. Rossi said. “To be assigned to the shrine is a
great privilege.”

Msgr. Rossi said the shrine was established by the U.S.
Bishops as a tribute to the Blessed Mother and it’s an honor
to serve.

The rector serves at the discretion of the USCCB, and Msgr.
Rossi reports to the USCCB twice a year on shrine matters. As
rector, he serves as secretary to the shrine’s board of
trustees, which governs its operation.

In 2005, he was chosen by Washington Cardinal Theodore E.
McCarrick to succeed Msgr. Michael Bransfield as rector, when
Msgr. Bransfield was named Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston.

His most memorable event at the shrine was when Pope Benedict
XVI visited in May 2008.

“I’ve been a priest for 22 years and never would I have
expected that I would welcome the pope to a church where I
was (rector),” Msgr. Rossi said.

He is totally dedicated to the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception.

“This place is my life,” Msgr. Rossi said. “I don’t (look)
beyond the shrine.”

“I have had a wonderful priesthood,” he said. “My involvement
with the shrine for the past 12 years has been a blessing.”

Where else can you see Catholics from around the world walk
through your door, he said.

“While we at the shrine are here to serve and assist our
pilgrims as they seek to encounter the Lord through the
guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, they in turn, strengthen
our faith through their witness,” Msgr. Rossi said.

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