Catholic All Week

The idea of pilgrimage is central to the upcoming Jubilee Year of Hope. Pilgrimages represent a journey of spiritual renewal. Visiting holy sites enables people to interact closely with places of historical religious significance – deepening their connection with God and experiencing a sense of community with fellow believers who are walking the same literal and spiritual path. However, there are times when health, finances or life circumstances prevent people from making a physical pilgrimage. Here are a few sites on the Jubilee Year itineraries that you don’t have to leave home to experience, thanks to their innovative online presences:

The largest church in the world

According to tradition, the tomb in which the Apostle Peter was buried after his crucifixion was on the highest point of Vatican Hill. It was on that spot that Emperor Constantine built St. Peter’s Basilica in the fourth century in what is now Vatican City. Many of the greatest artists in history – Bramante, Raphael and Michelangelo – were involved in the construction and decoration of this structure, the largest church in the world. The Vatican recently teamed up with Microsoft to create a stunningly accurate 3D basilica replica powered by artificial intelligence. It combines more than 400,000 photos into a seamless virtual experience through which you can see every inch of the holy space – including intricate details most visitors would never see in person.

The oldest western Marian shrine

According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to the Patrician John and Pope Liberius, telling them to build a church on the spot where she would cause snow to fall. On the morning of Aug. 5, 358, snow was seen on the Esquiline Hill, outlining the perimeter of what was to become the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The basilica is home to one of the most important Marian icons, the “Salus Populi Romani” (“Our Lady Savior of the Roman People”). Tradition attributes the artwork to St. Luke the Evangelist, patron of painters. Pope Francis visits the icon before and after his apostolic journeys. The relic of the holy crib – the bedding on which the baby Jesus was laid – is under the papal altar, and the mortal remains of St. Matthew and St. Jerome are in this church. The basilica offers in-depth descriptions and photos as well as a podcast discussing many of its treasures on its website.

The mother of all churches

The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and of Sts. John the Baptist and the Evangelist, better known as St. John Lateran, is the Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Rome – making it the official seat of its bishop, Pope Francis. It is the oldest of the four papal basilicas and stands over the ruins of a Roman cavalry fort. From the 4th to the 14th century, St. John Lateran was the seat of the papacy, thus becoming the symbol and the heart of the Church’s life. It was also the site of the original Holy Door. Today, online visitors can take a virtual reality tour of the world’s only archbasilica on the Vatican’s website or see it in one of countless online video tours.

Catholic All Week

Advent is a season about so much more than a wreath decorated with four candles and a calendar filled with sweet treats. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says the goal of Advent is to make present for ourselves and our families the “ancient expectancy of the Messiah ... by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming.” Although Christ has already come into the world, the Church invites us to use this time to renew our desires for the Lord to be present more deeply in our lives and for Christ’s triumphant second coming into the world. Here are a few ways we can use this season to prepare ourselves spiritually for Christmas.

Find your answers

Where does the word “Advent” come from? Why is one of the candles in the Advent wreath pink – and where did the tradition of an Advent wreath originate? What is a Jesse tree and how do you make one? What are the Great “O” Antiphons? How long is Advent? Whether your questions about this season are simple or complex, there are a wealth of online resources that we have compiled at www.catholicnewsherald.com to answer them. Browse our website at your leisure to deepen your spiritual journey and learn something new this Advent.

Celebrate feasts and solemnities

While the focus of Advent is looking forward to Christ’s arrival at Christmas – “Advent” comes from the Latin “adventus,” which means “arrival” – there are three additional feasts and solemnities to honor in this season. The Feast of St. Nicholas on Dec. 6 honors the saint whose story was the basis for Santa Claus. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (this year, on Dec. 9) celebrates the doctrine that Mary was conceived completely free of original sin. St. Lucy’s Day on Dec. 13 commemorates a fourth-century virgin martyr who, according to legend, brought food to Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs, wearing a candle-lit wreath on her head to light her way.

Explore your faith

Did you know the Diocese of Charlotte offers free, video-based adult faith formation online through Franciscan University’s Catechetical Institute? You can deepen your faith and prepare your heart to encounter Christ this Christmas through “Following Jesus: The Challenge of Discipleship.” This workshop helps us come to know the person of Jesus as our one essential need. It benefits everyone, no matter where they are on their faith journey, as they walk through this season. Through this and other workshops, the CI provides solid Catholic content in a manner that is both substantive and engaging, offering personal formation that is human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral.

Catholic All Week

On July 24, 1990, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States designated November as Black Catholic History Month to celebrate the history and heritage of black Catholics. November is significant because two important black saints are commemorated within the month: St. Martin de Porres’ feast day (Nov. 3) and St. Augustine’s birthday (Nov. 13). While Sister Thea Bowman may be the most well-known, there are a number of other black women in the Americas who are on the path toward sainthood. Here are a few of their stories:

Henriette Delille

Henriette Delille was born in 1812 in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a free woman of color. When she was 24, she experienced a religious conversion and proclaimed: “I believe in God. I hope in God. I love. I want to live and die for God.” Henriette co-founded the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1842 — 20 years before the Civil War and before it was legal for this type of organization to exist. In 1847, the Society of the Holy Family was founded to support the sisters financially. The sisters responded to the need of treatment for the enslaved, elderly and sick, as well as care and education for the poor. Archbishop Philip M. Hannan began the canonization process for Henriette DeLille in 1988. Henriette was declared Venerable (the first step toward sainthood) by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

Elizabeth Lange

Elizabeth Lange was born around 1794 in Santiago de Cuba. An educated woman, she left Cuba for Baltimore in the early 1800s. Since there was no free public education for African American children in Maryland, she opened a school in her home. At the behest of the Archbishop of Baltimore, Lange was approached with the idea of founding a religious congregation for the education of African American girls. On July 2, 1829, Lange and three other women professed their vows and became the Oblate Sisters of Providence — the first congregation of African American women religious in the history of the Catholic Church. Elizabeth, the foundress and first superior general, took the religious name Mary. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine for the Causes of Saints approved the cause of her sainthood in 2004, and Pope Francis declared her venerable in 2023.

Julia Greeley

Julia Greeley was born into slavery in Hannibal, Missouri, between 1833 and 1848. Freed by Missouri’s Emancipation Act in 1865, Julia earned her keep by serving families in Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Julia became Catholic at Sacred Heart Parish in Denver in 1880. She became an enthusiastic promoter of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She visited every fire station in Denver monthly — on foot — and delivered Sacred Heart League literature to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. A daily communicant, Julia had a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary. She joined the Secular Franciscan Order in 1901 and was active in it until her death in 1918. As part of the ongoing cause for her canonization, Julia’s mortal remains were transferred to Denver’s Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on June 7, 2017.

— U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Black Catholic Congress

At www.nbccongress.org: Learn more about the National Black Catholic Congress and its upcoming events, download educational resources and get vocation information