Affectionately known as “America’s Catholic Church,” the Basilica has been at the heart of countless historic moments for Catholicism in the United States. As the largest Catholic church in North America, the Basilica has been privileged to welcome a number of honored guests through its doors over the years. From Pope John Paul II making history as the first reigning pope to visit the Basilica, to Mother Teresa uplifting the Missionaries of Charity, these visionary visitors have inspired the faithful with their wisdom and insight.
Today, we invite you to learn more about some of the Basilica’s most renowned guests and their time at America’s Catholic Church.
Mother Teresa
In 1972, Mother Teresa visited the Basilica for the first time. This would be one of several visits by the beloved saint, the last of which was only two years before her death in 1995. Many of her Missionaries of Charity have also made their vows at the Shrine.
The impact of her ministry was so significant that Pope John Paul II waited only two years after her death to beatify her, instead of the customary five years, and she was canonized on September 4, 2016. She is depicted in multiple areas of the Basilica, including the Lower Sacristy window of the Crypt Church, Hall of American Saints, the Trinity Dome Mosaic, and the Universal Call to Holiness.
Pope John Paul II
On October 7, 1979, Pope John Paul II made history by becoming the first reigning pope to visit America’s Catholic Church. While prior to his papacy, previous popes scarcely traveled outside the confines of the Vatican City State, he made it his mission to visit the faithful in all parts of the world. His work spreading the Gospel to millions of people in over 120 countries during his papacy earned him the moniker “the Pilgrim Pope.”
During his visit to the National Shrine, Saint John Paul II expressed the powerful impact and significance of this holy sanctuary:
“This Shrine speaks to us with the voice of all America, with the voice of all the sons and daughters of America, who have come here from the various countries of the Old World. When they came, they brought with them in their hearts the same love for the Mother of God that was characteristic of their ancestors and of themselves in their native lands.”
Pope Benedict XVI
When Pope Benedict XVI visited the National Shrine in 2008, it wasn’t just any day – it was the anniversary of the dedication of the Oratory of Our Lady of Altötting and the Holy Father’s 81st birthday! During his visit, Pope Benedict XVI presided over Evening Vespers vested in a 100-year-old cope donated to the National Shrine in the 1920s. Afterward, he donned a new zucchetto given to him by the Basilica’s sacristan sisters for his papal address.
On this special day, the bishops and the faithful of the United States also presented Pope Benedict XVI with a generous offering of $870,000 in support of his charitable works around the world, and before the Holy Father’s departure, his brother bishops sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
Pope Francis
When Pope Francis rolled up to the Basilica in the Popemobile on September 23, 2015, a crowd of 25,000 waited with bated breath to see him. As he rode through the masses once, and then again, the triumphant sounds of the Knights Carillon bells heralded his arrival.
The visit was historic for several reasons. Not only was it the Holy Father’s first time at America’s Catholic Church as pope, but he was also presiding over the canonization Mass of Junípero Serra – the first canonization to ever take place on American soil. During this visit, Pope Francis also blessed the first segment of mosaic art that now adorns the Basilica’s Great Dome, the Trinity Dome.
Sources:
“Biography of John Paul II,” The Vatican
Butler’s Lives of Saints, ed. Bernard Bangley
“Mother Teresa of Calcutta,” The Vatican
Tucker, Gregory W. (2000). America’s Church: The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor. ©Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception