The Holy Father's Visit



I want to thank you for your prayers regarding Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday.

The visit was a tremendous blessing for all involved. If you were able to watch on EWTN, you probably realize that everything went according to plan.

Upon entering the National Shrine at 5:30 P.M., the Holy Father was welcomed with a surprise chorus of “Happy Birthday” by staff members of the Shrine, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

It was a great privilege to then accompany the Holy Father on a tour of the Great Upper Church, making a special stop at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and the Oratory of Our Lady of Altötting. Devotion to Our Lady of Altötting comes from the Holy Father’s home region of Bavaria in Germany. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI was instrumental in encouraging the construction of this Oratory at the National Shrine. In addition to being the Holy Father’s 81st Birthday, yesterday marked the third anniversary of the dedication of the Oratory of Our Lady of Altötting.

Following his visit to the Upper Church, we then went to the Crypt Church, where the Holy Father celebrated Evening Prayer with the United States Catholic Bishops in a closed service, where we remembered all of the intentions that you sent in last week. Shrine staff members were able to participate from the Upper Church by way of closed circuit television screens.

Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Bishops after Evening Prayer, and spoke of National Shrine as a place of special significance to American Catholics. You may find the full address here.

Yesterday the Holy Father’s visit to the United States continued with a public mass at National’s Stadium and meetings at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center and The Catholic University of America – our next door neighbors! Today he traveled up to New York City for several events before returning home to Rome.

I hope you know just how important your prayers and support have been over the past few days, weeks, and months as we prepared for this visit. We could not have done it without your prayers and support. Thank you!



Sincerely Yours in Christ,



Reverend Monsignor Walter R. Rossi

Rector