After six years and a worldwide pandemic that caused two cancellations, the Diocese of Paterson returned back to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington earlier this month.
Pilgrims throughout the diocese made the trek either for the one-day or two-day optional pilgrimage to find a greater relationship with God. As each bus pulled up at the Basilica, I greeted the faithful, and I saw in the faces of the pilgrims joy, anticipation, hope, yearning for God, awe, and a desire to meet God that day through the various activities.
Those activities included communal prayer with the Rosary prayed in English, Italian, Polish, Spanish, and Tagalog; the Angelus, and the Divine Mercy chaplet. Those assembled in the majestic Basilica that dates back to 1959 began in song as the day was dedicated to Mary, the Patroness of the Americas, by the crowning of the Blessed Mother statute.
The highlight of the day was the Holy Mass, with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney serving as the main celebrant and homilist. In his enthusiastic homily, Bishop Sweeney urged the faithful to come to find peace in their heart and pray for the special intentions of life in the womb, the family, and vocations.
The faithful who went on this journey from the diocese had a spiritual mission of love of God and to bring their needs to Him. Pilgrims offered on paper over 1,500 prayer intentions that were brought forward at the Presentation of Gifts at the Mass.
For the faithful, this was their day with God in this holy Basilica in the Northeast section of Washington, D.C. They prayed to the saints, lit candles in hope, and visited the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and the special chapels dedicated to Mary, like Our Lady of Guadalupe, Czestochowa, and the Miraculous Medal. In all, the basilica has well over 100 statues and Mosaics of the Blessed Mother and the saints, not counting the Mosaics in the Trinity Dome, considered to be the Crowning Jewel of the Upper Church.
It was an especially surreal and prayerful time for those who gathered for the two-day pilgrimage at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land. It was so ironic that the faithful of the diocese was participating in a tour and prayers as they walked and visited replicas of the catacombs and the birthplace of Christ while the actual Holy Land shrines are closed and worldwide pilgrimages to the Holy Land canceled at least through November. At the end of the tour, pilgrims joined in song, singing O Come All Ye Faithful, marking the Holy Land birthplace.
A call for peace in the Holy Land amidst the terror attack on Israel and the ensuing fighting in the region was also on the minds of many who attended the pilgrimage. At the Masses both on Friday at the Monastery and Saturday at the Basilica, the prayers were said by those assembled praying for victims and for a peaceful resolution.
Though the faithful returned home later in the afternoon, their shared experience lives with them, knowing and appreciating that we are a pilgrim people. The revelation of a greater relationship with God, Mary, and the saints will continue to blossom in their spiritual life. That yearning that brought them to Washington, D.C., will live on and will serve as a stepping stone for future pilgrimages.
Father Michael Rodak is the Diocesan Director of Pilgrimages for the Diocese of Paterson and pastor of St. Jude the Apostle in Hardyston.