Make a Pilgrimage, in DC?
SAINT JOHN PAUL II NATIONAL SHRINE
Did you know that you can make a Pilgrimage to
Washington, DC? As a newbie Catholic convert, I was familiar with the
term pilgrimage. But
usually those holy places that come to mind are: Fatima, Portugal; Lourdes, France; Rome, Italy; Jerusalem, Israel. It
didn’t really even dawn on me until the other day when I was listening to Teresa Tomeo’s Catholic
Connection on Ave Maria Radio. She was interviewing a guest in the
mid-west, who is arranging for a group of young adults to take a day trip (via
airplane) to Washington, DC. As in the Nation’s Capitol. As in my backyard,
basically. I am a native Marylander and have lived in Maryland on-and-off
for over 22 years. And not once, have I ever, EVER, considered DC as a holy
place destination. I mean, actually, I think of it as quite the opposite. Does
anyone remember the joke about DC meaning the “Death Capitol”? So, to
hear that folks come to DC on a Pilgrimage, really floored me. And then, today
I reread the weekly bulletin from my parish, about the Saint John Paul II National
Shrine, across the street from Catholic
University. So after Mass, Mike and I drove our three kids the LONG ten
minutes down the road to the Shrine to see the Saint Thomas More exhibit: “God’s Servant
First: The Life and Legacy of Thomas More”. And it is good, no great, thing
that we went as this wonderful exhibit ends this month.
About the JP II Shrine
The JP II Shrine is a holy place of
worship. The Shrine is a place of where you can receive the Sacraments, receive
pastoral care and “participate in educational and cultural opportunities”
that help grow your faith. At the Shrine, “visitors can enter into
its patron’s deep love for God and for man… through liturgy, prayer, art, and
cultural and religious formation.”
What is a
relic?
“The religious sense of the
Christian people has always found expression in various forms of piety
surrounding the Church’s sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics…”
(Universal Catechism, 1674)
Christians in the early Church have
venerated or cherished items of The Blessed Virgin Mary or other beloved
saints. Relics are the remains of the body or clothes of a departed saint
and are considered very special if that person died a martyr for the sake of
the Cross. It is *important to note* that Catholic DO NOT worship saints or
relics. Making the concerted effort to take a pilgrimage to see the
relics of a saint, is “an expression of reverence for their holiness of life,
and to seek the saint’s intercession for spiritual aid, healing, and particular
graces.”
A relic of Saint Pope John Paul II’s
blood can be seen in the lovely Luminous Chapel at the Shrine.
God’s Servant First: The Life and
Legacy of Thomas More
Who is Saint Thomas More?
Who is Saint Thomas More you ask? Well, let me of the pleasure of
introducing this amazing gentleman. Thomas More was born in London on
February 7, 1478, to Agnes Graunger and Sir John More, a lawyer and judge.
At age 14, Thomas More entered Oxford in 1492, where he would learn Latin,
Greek and prepare for his future studies. After attending Oxford, More became a
lawyer and trained in London until 1502 when he was finally approved to begin
practice.
In 1505, Thomas More married his first wife, Jane Colt, and they had four
children. Thomas often tutored her in music and literature. They had a happy
marriage. Jane died six years later and wanting a step-mother for his children
More quickly remarried long-time friend Alice Harpur Middleton. Alice,
not particulary attractive, was a wealthy widow.
Thomas worked hard at building his law practice and by 1504 was eleected to
the Privy Council for King Henry VIII. Yes, *the* KING HENRY VIII, who was
supposed to be “The Defender of the (Catholic) Fatih. So you know, how
this story is going to end, right?
King Henry VIII took a great liking to Thomas More and promoted him to Lord
Chancellor of England. In essence he was the Chief Judge and Legal Counsel and
right-hand man to the King. More was fiercely loyal to the King, but the
King not so much to More. You see King Henry’s marriage to Queen
Katherine of Aragon, Spain, did not produce a living male heir to the throne.
So, the King sought an annulment from the Queen, which the Pope stalled for
nearly six years before finally saying “no” to King Henry’s request. This
rejection, of course, angered King Henry and he seperated himself from the See
of Rome and out of rebellion created his own church, The Church of England,
where he made himself the defender of this new faith.
Poor Thomas More was stuck between a rock and a hard place (literally) for
not standing with the King and his unlawful marriage to Anne Boleyn. More gave
the King his resgination, citing ill health, which the King accepted. But
when More resfused to attend the coronation of Anne Boylen in 1533, who was now
the Queen of England, Henry became livid at the snub. More’s absence was viewed
by the King as an insult to him and the new queen. Henry felt that More was
undermining the royal authority of the King as head of church and state.
Well, things went down hill quickly for Sir Thomas More after that incident.
In 1534, More was arrested and charged with treson. On July 1, More was
convicted by Ann Boleyn’s father and brother and uncle. Henry communted the
death penalty to beheading.
Sir Thomas More sprent nearly 15 months in the infamous Tower of London. On
July 6, 1535, More ascended the scaffold, his last words were that he was “the
king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
In the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London, in an unmarked
grave, is the buried decapiated body of Sir Thomas More. His head was put on
display in London. It is said that his daughter Margaret possibly bribed
someone to take it down. A vault of a church in Canterbury The skull may hold
More’s skull.
For a short time this month, vistors at the JP II Shrine in DC,
may see a relic of Sir Thomas More’s jawbone and tooth, and a small piece of
his famed itchy hair garmet he wore, among many other rare and marvelous pieces
of art and treasured publications.
Pope Leo XIII beatified More in 1886, and he was canonized by Pope Pius XI
on May 19, 1935.
His feast day is June 22.
He is the patron saint of adopted children lawyers, civil servants, politicians,
and difficult marriages.
Saint Thomas More, pray
for us!
SHRINE VISITOR INFORMATION
HOURS OF OPERATION
Shrine: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily
Exhibit: The exhibit on Saint John Paul II is open every day
except Good Friday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas
Gift Shop: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily except Good Friday,
Thanksgiving, and Christmas
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE
Monday to Saturday
12:00 noon – Holy Mass (preceded by the Angelus)
Sunday
11 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. – Holy Mass
JPII Relic veneration daily in the Luminous Mysteries Chapel
3900 Harewood Road NE
Washington, DC 20017
Please call 202-635-5400 if you need additional information.
