About Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception · Washington, District of Columbia
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, affectionately called 'America's Catholic Church,' is the largest Roman Catholic church in North America and one of the ten largest churches in the world. Located in Washington, D.C., on the grounds of The Catholic University of America, it is the nation's preeminent Marian shrine and patronal church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the United States. Elevated to the status of a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1990, the Shrine is neither a parish nor a cathedral but a national place of pilgrimage belonging to the entire country, hosting more than 80 chapels and oratories that reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of American Catholicism. It welcomes nearly one million pilgrims and visitors each year for Mass, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, devotions, and guided tours.
- Established
- 1920
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception (Patroness of the United States)
- Rector
- Reverend Monsignor Walter R. Rossi (Rector)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Washington (technically a national shrine under the joint stewardship of the USCCB; it does not belong to a single diocese)
Why belong here
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is not a parish that one 'joins' in the register-book sense — it is a national pilgrimage church belonging to the entire country, operated not by a diocese or parish but by the U.S. bishops and supported entirely by donor generosity. Visitors, however, encounter an extraordinary depth of Catholic life here: four Masses celebrated daily (in English and Spanish), five hours of Confession available most days, daily Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, the daily recitation of the Rosary, weekly and seasonal novenas, the Stations of the Cross in Lent, and the opportunity to walk among more than 80 chapels and oratories that honor the Blessed Mother through the cultural and ethnic traditions of Catholics from around the world. For anyone seeking a place of prayer, beauty, reconciliation, and encounter with the universal Church in the heart of the nation's capital, the Shrine offers a uniquely American expression of the ancient tradition of pilgrimage.
Mass times at Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday to Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
- Monday to Saturday: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
- Sunday: 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. (in Spanish)
- Sunday: 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- No confessions on Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day
- Regularly scheduled confessions are held in the Our Lady of Hostyn Chapel within the Crypt Church; anonymous or face-to-face options available
Adoration times
- Monday–Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon (Exposition following 8:00 a.m. Mass; Benediction at 12:00 noon)
- Friday: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Exposition following 12:10 p.m. Mass; Benediction at 5:00 p.m.)
- First Saturday: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Exposition following 12:10 p.m. Mass; Benediction at 4:00 p.m.)
History of the Basilica
The dream of a national Catholic church in Washington dates to 1846, when the American Bishops declared the Immaculate Conception patroness of the United States. It took Bishop Thomas Joseph Shahan of the Catholic University of America to bring it to life: he presented the idea to Pope Pius X in 1913, won CUA's donation of land, launched the Salve Regina newsletter in 1914, and appointed Father Bernard McKenna as the first director in 1915. The Maginnis & Walsh firm of Boston designed a Romanesque-Byzantine church; the foundation stone was blessed by Cardinal James Gibbons on September 23, 1920, before 10,000 people. The Crypt Church's first public Mass was offered on April 20, 1924, and the Great Upper Church was dedicated on November 20, 1959. The final capstone — the 14-million-piece Trinity Dome mosaic — was dedicated on December 8, 2017.
- 1846 — U.S. Bishops declare the Immaculate Conception patroness of the United States
- August 15, 1913 — Bishop Shahan presents national-shrine proposal to Pope Pius X
- January 1914 — First issue of Salve Regina newsletter
- 1915 — Father Bernard McKenna appointed first director
- May 16, 1920 — Site blessed by Archbishop Giovanni Bonzano, Apostolic Nuncio
- September 23, 1920 — Cardinal Gibbons blesses the foundation stone
- April 20, 1924 — First public Mass in the unfinished Crypt Church
- 1926 — Crypt Church completed; Crypt-level work continues through 1931
- March 9, 1932 — Death of Bishop Shahan; his remains are interred at the Shrine
- 1932–1954 — Construction halted above the Crypt level by the Great Depression and World War II
- 1953–54 — Marian Year; bishops pledge to complete the Great Upper Church
- November 15, 1954 — Construction resumes
- 1955 — Superstructure of the Great Upper Church begins to rise
- November 20, 1959 — Solemn dedication of the Great Upper Church
- October 12, 1990 — Elevated to minor basilica by Pope John Paul II
- September 23, 2015 — Pope Francis blesses the first segment of the Trinity Dome mosaic during his apostolic visit
- December 8, 2017 — Trinity Dome dedicated; the Basilica is structurally complete
- Easter Sunday 2024 — Centennial of liturgical life at the Shrine
Art & Architecture
Maginnis & Walsh of Boston (with associate Frederick V. Murphy, later continued by Eugene F. Kennedy Jr.) designed the Basilica in a deliberately American Romanesque Revival–Byzantine Revival style — distinct from the Gothic of the Washington National Cathedral and harmonizing with the city's neoclassical architecture. Constructed entirely of stone, brick, tile, and mortar without structural steel, the building is faced in Indiana limestone (350 train carloads) and roofed in Mission tile. Romanesque elements — arches, piers, groin vaults, towers, tympana, and figurative stone sculpture — define the exterior and structural core, while Byzantine art — mosaic and marble claddings, domes on pendentives — defines the interior. The Great Upper Church measures 459 feet long and rises 329 feet to the bell tower (240 feet to the top of the main dome) and seats roughly 3,500. The Basilica holds the world's largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical art across more than 80 chapels and oratories.
- Architects: Maginnis & Walsh (Charles D. Maginnis and Timothy F. Walsh); associate Frederick V. Murphy; later continued by Maginnis and Walsh and Kennedy (Eugene F. Kennedy Jr.)
- Style: Romanesque Revival–Byzantine Revival
- Exterior walls: Indiana limestone (350 train carloads)
- Roof: Mission tile
- Construction: Stone, brick, tile, and mortar — no structural steel
- Length: 459 feet
- Height: 329 feet (bell tower); 240 feet to top of Great Upper Church dome
- Capacity: ~3,500 in the Great Upper Church
- 80+ chapels and oratories representing African, Austrian, Chinese, Cuban, Czech, Filipino, French, German, Guamanian, Hungarian, Indian, Irish, Italian, Korean, Latin American, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak, Slovenian, Vietnamese, and other Catholic traditions
- World's largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical art
The Trinity Dome Mosaic
The Trinity Dome, the central and crowning mosaic of the Great Upper Church, was dedicated on December 8, 2017 — the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the patronal feast of the Shrine — by Cardinal Donald Wuerl, joined by Cardinal Kevin Farrell as Pope Francis's special envoy, and 23 archbishops and bishops before nearly 5,000 faithful. Composed of 14 million pieces of handmade Venetian glass in over 1,000 color variations, the mosaic covers 18,299 square feet of dome surface and weighs 24 tons. It depicts the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, 18 saints, two archangels, four choir angels, and the four evangelists — telling the story of salvation history.
- Dedicated December 8, 2017 (Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception)
- 14 million pieces of Venetian glass, 1,000+ color variations
- Covers 18,299 square feet; weighs 24 tons
- Fabricated in 30,000 sections by the Travisanutto Giovanni workshop in northern Italy
- Installed across 13 floors of scaffolding without injury to any worker
- Pope Francis blessed the first mosaic segment ('I believe in one God' / 'Amen' from the Nicene Creed) on September 23, 2015
- The reverse/indirect mosaic method invented in late-19th-century Italy was used to fabricate the dome
Stained Glass of the Basilica
Although mosaic is the primary artistic medium of the Romanesque-Byzantine Shrine, stained and faceted glass decorate both the Upper and Lower Church areas. Highlights include rose windows in the west and east transepts (installed 1960, featuring 'Gloria' and 'Pax' from the angel Gabriel, alternating with the Star of Bethlehem around an 'M'); the Patroness Windows depicting nine U.S. national monuments; the clerestory windows (over 28 feet tall and 14 feet wide) depicting Our Lady of Mercy, Christ as Teacher, Christ as Priest, and Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom; the 36 stained-glass windows surrounding the Trinity Dome (donated by the Sisters of Saint Joseph in 1967); and Gothic-Revival windows in the Our Lady of Antipolo Oratory dating to 1926 — among the oldest in the Basilica.
- Rose windows in the west and east transepts (installed 1960)
- 9 'Patroness Windows' — Alamo, Statue of Liberty, river boat, White House, Great Seal, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Mount Vernon, Monticello
- Clerestory windows: Our Lady of Mercy, Christ as Teacher, Christ as Priest, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, St. Wenceslaus, Our Lady of Hostyn, St. Anne, St. Elizabeth, Prophet Anna, St. Mary Magdalene
- 36 stained-glass windows surrounding the Trinity Dome (Sisters of Saint Joseph, 1967)
- Our Lady of Antipolo Oratory — 1926 Gothic-Revival windows (oldest in the Basilica)
- 'Eva and the Tree of Life' in the Mary, Queen of All Hearts Chapel
- Arthur DeCarlo's Immaculate Conception and Assumption windows (1992), based on Murillo and Titian
Tour the National Shrine
Guided one-hour tours are offered Monday through Saturday at 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 a.m. and 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m., covering the Crypt Level chapels, the Great Upper Church, the mosaics, sculptures, and the history of the Shrine. Tours for groups of 1–30 can be reserved online; groups of 30–150 should contact the Director of Visitor Services at least two weeks in advance. Specialized tours are available in Spanish and for hearing- or visually-impaired visitors. A self-guided 360° virtual tour is available for those unable to visit in person. The Shrine is also open to individuals and small groups for self-guided visits, Mass attendance, and the Shrine Shops; no guided tours are offered on Sundays.
- Hours: 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., 365 days a year
- Tours Mon–Sat: 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. (no tours Sundays)
- Tours last approximately one hour
- Group tours: 1–30 (reservation) and 30–150 (advance arrangement)
- Spanish-language and accessibility tours available on request
- 360° self-guided virtual tour available online
What is a Basilica and a National Shrine?
A basilica is a church that has been granted special privileges by the pope. Pope John Paul II elevated the National Shrine to a minor basilica in October 1990, acknowledging its historical importance and its significance as a center of worship and devotion. As a basilica, the Shrine is entitled to certain dignities, including the ombrellino (parasol), the tintinnabulum (bell), and a coat of arms displaying the papal keys. A shrine, in turn, is a sacred place of pilgrimage. With the approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Shrine was designated a 'national' shrine for the United States and is recognized as a Sanctuary of Prayer and Pilgrimage. Because it belongs to the entire nation, its role differs from a parish church or cathedral — it does not administer communal sacraments such as Baptism and Matrimony, but offers the Eucharist, Confession, Adoration, and a wealth of devotions to pilgrims and visitors from across the country and around the world.
- Elevated to minor basilica by Pope John Paul II on October 12, 1990 — the 36th basilica in the United States
- Recognized by the USCCB as the U.S. national shrine and a Sanctuary of Prayer and Pilgrimage
- Entitled to papal dignities: ombrellino, tintinnabulum, and a coat of arms with papal keys
- Unlike a parish or cathedral, it is supported entirely by donor generosity
- Does not administer Baptism, Matrimony, Confirmation, or Anointing of the Sick
- Hosts the Eucharist, Confession, Adoration, devotions, and pilgrimages
Clergy & Staff
The Shrine is led by Rector Monsignor Walter R. Rossi, supported by an Associate Rector for Pilgrimages, an Associate Rector for Liturgy, and a Spiritual Director from the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Lay staff direct Music (Dr. Peter J. Latona, D.M.A.), Communications, Development, the National Shrine Shops, Visitor Services, and the office of the Comptroller. The Archivist-Curator Emerita, Dr. Geraldine M. Rohling, oversees the Shrine's historical collections and records.
- Reverend Monsignor Walter R. Rossi — Rector (appointed 2005; Chaplain to His Holiness 2004)
- Reverend Monsignor Vito A. Buonanno — Associate Rector and Director of Pilgrimages
- Reverend Ismael N. 'Mel' Ayala — Associate Rector and Director of Liturgy
- Reverend Andrew Knop, O.M.I. — Spiritual Director (Oblates of Mary Immaculate)
- Peter J. Latona, D.M.A. — Director of Music
- Jacquelyn Hayes — Director of Communications
- Robert Silbaugh — Director of Development
- Amy Maloney — Director of National Shrine Shops
- Joseph Hartley — Director of Visitor Services
- Daniel MacGregor — Comptroller
- Geraldine M. Rohling, Ph.D., M.A.Ed., DSG — Archivist-Curator Emerita
Sacred Music
The Music Ministry of the Basilica, under the direction of Dr. Peter J. Latona, oversees the Choir of the Basilica and the Organist of the Basilica, providing music for daily and Sunday liturgies, Solemn Vespers on major feasts, and special celebrations. The Basilica's music program is widely known for its choral and organ tradition and is regularly livestreamed alongside the Sunday 12:00 noon and 2:30 p.m. (Spanish) Masses, as well as Solemn Vespers on solemnities such as the Ascension and Easter.
- Director of Music: Dr. Peter J. Latona, D.M.A.
- Choir of the Basilica
- Organist of the Basilica
- Music for daily Masses, Solemn Vespers, and special celebrations
- Liturgical music livestreamed on Sundays and major feasts
Pilgrimages
The Office of Pilgrimages, under Monsignor Vito A. Buonanno, assists pilgrimage groups from dioceses, parishes, schools, and Catholic organizations in planning visits to the Basilica. Because the Shrine is the national Marian church, a pilgrimage to Washington can include Mass in the Great Upper Church, guided tours of the crypt chapels and the Upper Church, devotions, and time for private prayer. The Shrine is not a parish or cathedral, so groups should arrange sacraments (such as weddings) with their home parish; the Basilica is, however, available for private Masses celebrated by a group's own priest with prior arrangement through Visitor Services.
- Director of Pilgrimages: Monsignor Vito A. Buonanno
- Pilgrimage request form available on the official website
- Groups can arrange private Masses celebrated by their own priest
- Guided tours for groups of 1–30 (reservation) and 30–150 (advance arrangement)
Support the Shrine
The Basilica is neither a parish nor a cathedral; it belongs to the entire nation and is supported entirely by the generosity of donors. A $30 million infrastructure renewal project is underway to modernize the nearly century-old heating and cooling systems essential to its 365-day-a-year ministry. Gifts to the Shrine fund the worship, music, pilgrimage, and visitor-service programs that welcome nearly one million pilgrims annually, and they help preserve a national monument to the Catholic faith and to the Blessed Mother under her title of the Immaculate Conception.
- Supported entirely by donor generosity (not parish/diocesan assessments)
- $30 million infrastructure renewal project for heating and cooling modernization
- A nationwide Mother's Day 2017 collection supported the completion of the Trinity Dome — only the second national collection in the Shrine's 100-year history
- Donations can be made online via secure.nationalshrine.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Bishop Thomas Joseph Shahan (Founder)1913–1932
Rector of The Catholic University of America who conceived and launched the National Shrine; presented the idea to Pope Pius X on August 15, 1913; founded the Salve Regina newsletter in 1914; his remains are the only ones interred at the Basilica.
- Father Bernard McKenna1915–
Appointed first director of the National Shrine by Bishop Shahan in 1915; co-selected the Maginnis & Walsh architectural drawings in 1919.
- Reverend Monsignor Walter R. Rossi2005–present
Named a Chaplain to His Holiness by Pope John Paul II in 2004; appointed Rector in 2005; welcomed Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 and Pope Francis in 2015; instrumental in completion of the Great Upper Church and the 2017 dedication of the Trinity Dome.
