- This event has passed.
Exposition of the Passion Relics
April 18 @ 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
The Veneration of Relics, as stipulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), is an acceptable form of devotion and piety (CCC, 1674). Such expressions of piety extend the liturgical life of the Church but do not replace it. Derived from the liturgy, they are to “harmonize with the liturgical seasons” and lead the faithful back to the liturgy (CCC, 1675). In the early Church, the veneration of the relics of the suffering and death of Our Lord was central to the observances of Holy Week at Jerusalem and the practice of pilgrimage.
As a pilgrimage church, the National Shrine maintains a treasury of relics and reliquaries, which include those of Jesus Christ and of His Passion. The National Shrine also preserves relics of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the women who stood with her at the foot of the Cross, and of the Apostles.
On Good Friday, April 18, 2025, the National Shrine will observe Exposition of the Relics of the Passion of Our Lord from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Crypt Church. From 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., exposition will pause for Stations of the Cross and will resume at 1:00 p.m. The line will close at 5:45 p.m.
This sacramental event is part of the closing of the Shrine’s celebration of “100 Years of Worship,” commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first Mass being celebrated at the National Shrine. In addition, this devotion is especially significant for the faithful during this Jubilee Year of Hope, as the National Shrine was designated by the U.S. bishops as a special pilgrimage site.
The faithful are invited to come, venerate the holy relics, and spend time in prayer and meditation of Sacred Scripture.
