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Basilica to Bless and Seal National Holy Year Door on the First Sunday of Advent

Basilica to Bless and Seal National Holy Year Door on the First Sunday of Advent

– Sunday, December 3, 2023 • 12 Noon –

Faithful Invited to Join In-Person or Online

The Roman Catholic Church throughout the world will celebrate a Year of Jubilee in 2025: “Pilgrims of Hope,” as designated by Pope Francis.

A Holy Year, which is traditionally held every twenty-five years, provides an opportunity of spiritual conversion for the faithful, who, as pilgrims on earth, are journeying in faith to a future marked by a vision of hope and trust in the Lord.

Throughout history, pilgrims have journeyed to Rome to enter one of the basilicas by walking through the Holy Year Door, the first step in gaining the plenary indulgence attached to the Jubilee celebration. For the Great Jubilee 2000 Pope John Paul II expanded this privilege to include designated Holy Year Doors at particularly notable sanctuaries outside of Rome. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was honored to be the designated location for the United States in 2000 and again for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2016.

In preparation for the upcoming Jubilee Year, the National Holy Year Door of the National Shrine will be sealed and blessed by the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, U.S.A. and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, on the First Sunday of Advent, December 3, 2023.

Monsignor Walter R. Rossi, Rector of the Basilica, said, “To host the National Holy Year Door has been a great privilege for this National Shrine, first granted to us by Saint John Paul II and again by Pope Francis. While it may seem unremarkable on the surface, to walk through a Holy Door is a moment of grace, and the opportunity to do so while entering Mary’s House is a special spiritual experience.”

The Mass will be available online at www.nationalshrine.org/mass.

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ABOUT THE BASILICA

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the largest Roman Catholic church in North America, and it is among the ten largest churches in the world. Dedicated to the patroness of the United States, the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception, the Basilica is the nation’s preeminent Marian shrine and patronal church and has been designated a national sanctuary of prayer and pilgrimage. Among those who have visited the National Shrine during its 100-year history are Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, Saint Pope John Paul II, and Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

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