December 8: The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates the dogma that Mary was conceived free of the stain of original sin. The Immaculate Conception remains a holy day of obligation requiring attendance at Mass. Will celebrate out in Framingham tomorrow morning.
Rather than a homily in words it seems reasonable to give on in photos taken in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. I've shot a lot of photos there. The ones here are all from my last visit there in November of 2019 when I celebrated Mass for the Slovenian community.
The Shrine is the largest Catholic Church in North America and one of the largest in the world. The upper church seats 6000 and the lower 4000. There are around 82 chapels, all dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many of them are ethnic having been built with the donations of individuals, parishes, and organizations. A number of them are from Eastern and Central Europe. Despite its vast size the acoustics are very good, particularly when compared against the echo time in the National Cathedral (Episcopal) on Wisconsin Ave.
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