National Shrine Pilgrimage
Overview
News and Announcements
Faithful responds to Bishop’s call to honor Our Blessed Mother
More than 1,300 faithful of the Diocese of Raleigh will join with the Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge in a Diocesan Pilgrimage, Saturday, April 12, to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Bishop Burbidge announced the pilgrimage in September, explaining it would be “a wonderful witness to our faith as we gather around the Shrine of Our Blessed Lady and pray together for our Diocese, for our nation and for peace.”
In his letter, Bishop Burbidge noted that “Pope Pius XII dedicated the Diocese of Raleigh to Our Lord under the Patronage of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1945,” at the request of the Most Reverend Vincent S. Waters, third Bishop of Raleigh. “It is only good and proper that we should make a pilgrimage to Her National Shrine,” the Bishop said.
Approximately 400 of the pilgrims will set out on Friday on buses from eight locations throughout the 54-county Diocese. The group will include Bishop Burbidge and Bishop-Emeritus F. Joseph Gossman. It will stay at a hotel in suburban Virginia and continue on to the Shrine on Saturday morning. The Friday group will have dinner at the hotel, followed by a program, which will include Bishop Burbidge’s reflection on the importance of a pilgrimage, Father Bernard Shlesinger addressing Vocations, and Monsignor John Wall providing a personal reflection on “What our Blessed Mother Means to Me.”
Early Saturday morning, another five buses carrying 270 people will depart from five areas of the Diocese for Washington. The buses are in addition to hundreds of other faithful who are traveling on their own.
The day begins at 9:00 AM with Morning Prayer. At 9:30 AM, Father JaVan Saxon, Pilgrimage Co-Chair, will present a reflection on “Our Blessed Mother” in the Upper Church, while Father Edgar Sepulveda will present a reflection in Spanish in the Lower Crypt Church. The reflections will be followed by recitation of the Rosary.
Bishop Burbidge will offer a greeting to the pilgrims at 11:00 a.m. The afternoon will begin with Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The Pilgrimage will conclude with the celebration of Mass in the Upper Church.
Monsignor Gerald Lewis, Pilgrimage Co-Chair, said he is elated with the tremendous response to the Bishop’s invitation to the faithful. “The outpouring of our people reflects the tremendous manifestation we have to our Blessed Mother,” Monsignor Lewis said. “It also shows the strong loyalty to our Diocese.”
The Diocesan Pilgrimage takes place three days before Pope Benedict’s visit to the United States and four days before the Holy Father meets with the nation’s 350 bishops at a prayer service at the Shrine. “We are honored that we are the church community to prepare the way for the Holy Father,” Monsignor Lewis added. “Our prayerful pilgrimage is a sign of joy for the entire Church and our Diocese.”
Letter from Bishop Burbidge
September 10, 2007
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am pleased to announce a Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, April 12, 2008. At the request of the third Bishop of Raleigh, Most Reverend Vincent S. Waters, Pope Pius XII dedicated the Diocese of Raleigh to Our Lord under the Patronage of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1945. The Papal decree announcing this dedication hangs in our Diocesan Catholic Center. With our nation and our Diocese dedicated to Our Blessed Mother under this title, it is only good and proper that we should make a pilgrimage to Her National Shrine.
The Diocesan Pilgrimage will be a wonderful witness to our faith as we gather around the Shrine of Our Blessed Lady and pray together for our Diocese, for our nation and for peace. I envision people of all ages, from various cultures, from every walk of life, from every parish and from every Diocesan organization worshiping Christ and honoring His Blessed Mother.
I have appointed Monsignors Thomas Hadden and Gerald Lewis, Father JaVan Saxon, Father Scott McCue, Father Joseph Vetter, Brother Giovanni Ada, CICM and Mr. Michael Hagarty to the Pilgrimage Planning Committee with Monsignor Lewis and Father Saxon serving as the Co-Chairs. This Committee has already begun its work and will be coordinating with the Deans, Pastors and Pastoral Administrators to assure the greatest participation of the faithful in the pilgrimage.
I invite you to join me on this Diocesan pilgrimage as a reflection of your love for Our Blessed Mother and of your desire to grow ever closer to her Son. Please reserve the date on your calendar and look for further details that will soon follow. With the intercession of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, let us begin now to pray for success in this great endeavor for the faithful of our Diocese, that the Lord will bless it abundantly with many graces.
Sincerely in Christ,
Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge
Bishop of Raleigh
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Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |