YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH: Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral -- Bardstown, Ky.

(Observer screengrab/Sharon Boehlefeld)

 Destination: As we begin the year of St. Joseph, we find few basilicas are named to honor St. Joseph, but one is the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Ky. 

Masses are being offered at 4 p.m. Saturday; 7, 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday; and 11 a.m. Monday through Friday. Check with the web site before you go to be sure things haven’t changed. 

Why to go: The church cornerstone was laid in July 1816, according to the parish website. St. Joseph was the first cathedral west of the Allegheny Mountains and is listed by the U.S. Library of Congress as a national landmark. 

St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral campus is adjacent to Spalding Hall and Flaget Hall of what was originally St. Joseph College, which are all on the National Historic Register. Pastors served as president of the college. 

Paintings and other gifts from Europe donated by Pope Leo XII, Francis I — King of the Two Sicilies — and King Louis Phillippe of France, decorate the building and speak to the French beginnings of the diocese.

The cathedral was consecrated in 1819, though the interior was not fully completed until 1823. When the Episcopal See was moved 40 miles away to the fast growing city of Louisville in 1841, St. Joseph’s changed from a Cathedral parish to a parish church with the title “Proto-Cathedral.”

In 1995, Bardstown was named a Titular See by the Vatican for its contributions to Catholic Church heritage in America. Once again, Bardstown has a bishop, though in an honorary capacity. 

In 2001 Pope John Paul II declared St. Joseph a minor Basilica.

St. Joseph has nearly 5,000 parishioners.

Accessibility: Much of the grounds appear to be accessible to the handicapped.

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, 310 W. Stephen Foster Ave., Bardstown, KY  40004
Phone — 502-348-3126
Website — https://stjosephbasilica.org/

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Santuario de Chimayo -- Chimayo, N.M.

 Destination: If you haven’t heard of the “holy dirt” of New Mexico, the place to find it is Santuario de Chimayo or the Shrine of Chimayo.

Masses are being offered Sundays at 10:30 a.m. inside and at 12 noon in an outdoor Mass area. Daily Masses are not being offered. Check with the web site before you go to be sure things haven’t changed.

Photo: The chapel at Chimayo, N.M., is called the “Lourdes of America” for its holy dirt. (Observer screengrab/Sharon Boehlefeld)

The chapel at Chimayo, N.M., is called the “Lourdes of America” for its holy dirt.

Why to go: There are two significant chapels at Santuario de Chimayo, according to its website. The first, the Lord of Esquipulas Chapel, is also the site of el pocito, the small pit of holy dirt. Near the main chapel paintings of saints, holy cards, letters of thanks and crutches are mounted to walls as evidence of cures attributed to the holy dirt. A strange buried cross was discovered on the site on Good Friday in 1810. (For more about the site’s history, visit https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/646/article/holy-dirt.)

Photo: Photos surround a crucifix inside the historic El Santuario de Chimayo Church is pictured in Chimayo, N.M., July 29, 2020. Known as the "Lourdes of America," hundreds of thousands of people visit the adobe chapel built between 1813 and 1816 where, some believe, the dirt inside has healing powers. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

A second chapel is the Santo Niño de Atocha Chapel. Built in 1857, it is the destination of what is a strong and growing Easter pilgrimage tradition which now spans several generations. U.S. soldiers and sailors who prayed to the Santo Niño during the Bataan Death March started the pilgrimage when they returned to the United States after WWII to give thanks for surviving the march.

Hours: The shrine is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but with limited availability. The Santuario gift shop is open but the Santo Niño gift shop and welcome center are not. Masks  and social distancing are required. The restrooms are also closed.

Accessibility: Much of the grounds appear to be accessible to the handicapped.

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — Santuario de Chimayo, 15 Santuario Dr., Chimayo, NM 87522 
Phone —  505-351-9961 or 505-351-4360
Website — https://www.holychimayo.us/ 

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Arte Poli Gallery -- Rome, Italy

Destination: Should travel restrictions open in time, anyone heading for Rome may want to schedule a stop to see an exhibit only a few steps from the Vatican, on the 42nd anniversary of the election of St. John Paul II.

Masses are not held at the exhibit, but there are plenty of options in Rome. Check the internet before you go. 

Photo: Alessia Giuliani and her father, Giancarlo, both photojournalists, are pictured in front of their exhibit of photos from the pontificate of St. John Paul II in Rome Oct. 16, 2020. Both photographers contributed photos to Catholic News Service for many years. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Why to go: The exhibit opened to celebrate the Polish-born pope, and a father-daughter team of photographers who helped document his pontificate. 

Giancarlo Giuliani began covering the Vatican as a photojournalist in 1961. His daughter, Alessia Giuliani, joined him in 1999. 

The COVID-19 lockdown and ongoing restrictions meant that most of the events planned in Rome to mark the centenary of St. John Paul’s 1920 birth were canceled or postponed. 

But at the Arte Poli gallery, from Oct. 16 to April 2, 2021, visitors can glimpse the late pope’s personality through the Giulianis’ photographs and through objects the pope used, speeches written in his own hand and sculptures of him loaned to the exhibit. 

For the elder Giuliani there is no doubt who was his favorite pope to photograph. St. John Paul “was an actor,” who was comfortable in front of the cameras and who “would let us work,” he said. 

Giancarlo Giuliani, a contributing photographer for Catholic News Service for many years, accompanied the pope on 103 of his 104 foreign trips.

Hours: The gallery is open Tuesday-Friday,10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-6 p.m. Details about entrance and booking guided tours are available by phone or email.

Accessibility: Ask when you organize your visit.

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — Galleria Arte Poli, Borgo Vittorio 88, zona Basilica di S.Pietro, ROMA 
Phone —  39-06- 68309510 or 39-33-81363298
Website — https://www.poliartesacra.com/en/index.php
Email — galleria@progettoartepoli.com

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story; CNS contributed

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit -- Detroit, Mich.

 Destination:  “On July 24, 1701,” explains the history on the parish website, “25 canoes glided to a stop at the foot of a high bluff which ran along a narrow part of the Detroit River ... . French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and his party of 50 artisans, 50 soldiers, and two priests began construction of Fort Ponchartrain du Detroit. Among the first log structures was a tiny chapel which they dedicated on July 26, the feast day of Ste. Anne, mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus.”

 On Sept. 20, the basilica parish founded a guild  to look into the possibility of sainthood for one of its early pastors, Father Gabriel Richard. The guild is exploratory, and not yet  part of the official sainthood process.

Masses are being offered at 10 a.m. in Spanish and 12 noon in English on Sundays. See the website for the parish’s COVID regulations.

Photos: TOP--On July 15, Pope Francis elevated the Mission San Buenaventura in Ventura, Calif., to the rank of minor basilica. (Observer screen grab); MIDDLE-- The Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit is  in Michigan. (CNS photo/James Silvestri via Detroit Catholic); BOTTOM--A detail of a mural of Father Gabriel Richard is inside the TCF Center in downtown Detroit. (CNS photo/Detroit Catholic)

Why to go: The only parish operating continuously longer than the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit is St. Augustine in Florida. 

Among the basilica’s features is the Shrine of Ste. Anne de Detroit. The website says it “has been a place of pilgrimage for the faithful for many years, and was named the official (Detroit) Archdiocesan Shrine of Ste. Anne in 2017 by Archbishop (Allen) Vigneron.”

The current church is the parish’s eighth and was built in 1886. It contains a number of items from the previous 1818 building that was constructed while Father Richard was pastor. Born and ordained in France, Father Richard is buried in the basilica. 

During the War of 1812, Father Richard opened field hospitals, and advocated for Detroit’s French and American community among the British. He was captured in 1813, but freed three weeks later — some say at the demand of the Shawnee chief Tecumseh. 

Amenities: Walk-in visitors are not allowed but tours are available by calling ahead and asking to be added to a group. The tour fee is $3 per child, $5 per adult.

Accessibility: Ask when you call for a tour.

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit,  1000 Sainte Anne St. Detroit, MI 48216  

Phone — 313-496-1701 

Website — https://ste-anne.org/

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story; CNS contributed

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Mission Basilica - San Buenaventura Ventura, Calif.

(CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)

 Destination:  Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, celebrated Mass at the new Mission Basilica San Buena-ventura in Ventura, Calif., July 15. The mission became the first basilica in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the 88th in the United States when Pope Francis elevated it on July 15.

In addition to Archbishop Gomez, also celebrating the Mass were Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron, Father Thomas Elewaut, pastor of the mission parish, and Father Leon Hutton, pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Ventura. 

Masses are being offered in the garden. Mass times as of Aug. 25 are Sunday English Masses at 7:30 and 9 a.m. and Spanish Masses at 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Daily garden Masses are at 7:30 a.m. Monday-Friday. Saturday Evening Vigil Masses are not being celebrated pending further notice.

Why to go: The church at Mission San Buenaventura is the second oldest house of worship in the three counties comprising the Archdiocese of Los Angeles — Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara — according to the archdiocesan website. The founding of the mission, it says, traces to a decision on Palm Sunday, March 30, 1749, made by the Franciscan priest Junípero Serra to journey to the new world as a missionary. The canonization of Father Serra was celebrated by the mission parish community 266 years later in November 2015.

Founded on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1782, Mission San Buenaventura is the ninth and last of St. Junípero Serra’s missionary foundations along El Camino Real. 

Mission Basilica San Buenaventura remains an active parish serving about 1,600 families as well as a pilgrimage center, which thousands of visitors come to annually.

Amenities: The mission’s Museum and Archival Center chronicals the history of its founding and the development of the area. 

Accessibility: Generally, the mission is accessible..  

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — Mission Basilica San Buenaventura,  211 E. Main St., Ventura, CA 93001 • Phone — 805-643-4318 • Website — https://www.facebook.com/sanbuenaventuramission/.

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Virtual Visits Catholic Holy Sites Online

(CNS photo/Debbie Hill) 

 Destination:  There are several places important to Catholics that are offering some kind of virtual visit or live streaming service. Many of these online sites are also appealing for donations since lockdowns and restrictions have seriously reduced a major source of income from pilgrimages and tourism.

Online Masses may be available at some of these places. Check the individiual websites.

Photo: A worshipper wearing a protective mask lights a candle as she visits the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City May 26, 2020, the day it reopened after being closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Where to go: 

• The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land oversees 55 sanctuaries in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan. Visitors at www.custodia.org/en/sanctuaries can get a more in-depth look at these sacred places, especially the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, revered as the site of Jesus’s tomb, in Jerusalem.

• The Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal offers a livestream of the chapel and live daily broadcasts of praying the rosary and Mass at www.fatima.pt/en/pages/online-transmissions. The same link also provides a gallery of pictures, videos and “sounds,” including an audio library of Marian hymns.

• The website of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi offers a huge list of online opportunities, all in Italian, but still visually enriching, like a livestream of the tomb of St. Francis with an option of sending a prayer petition at www.sanfrancescopatronoditalia.it/web-cam-cripta-di-san-francesco-assisi and a livestream of daily Mass in the basilica at www.sanfrancescopatronoditalia.it/messa-diretta-streaming-oggi.

There is a 360-degree virtual tour of the basilica at www.sanfrancescopatronoditalia.it/basilica/ and of the tomb at www.sanfrancescopatronoditalia.it/visita-virtuale-tomba-san-francesco/. The 13th-century basilica had to be painstakingly restored, including its frescoes by Giotto, after a devastating earthquake in 1997.

• While a special online exposition of the Shroud of 

Turin was held April 11 for prayer and contemplation during the coronavirus epidemic, the recorded event, with commentary in English, can still be found online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7BmsSE_4Wk.

Accessibility: Everything is accessible online.  

(Grand) Kid friendly: Watch along with them.

Info: See websites with locations in descriptions.

— Carol Glatz, CNS; Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story.

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

EXTRA -- Lourdes, France, online pilgrimage July 16, 2020

(CNS photo)

The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France will be holding a worldwide online pilgrimage July 16 -- the anniversary of the last apparition of the Virgin Mary.

Everyone is invited to join the online initiative, which will be livestreamed for 15 hours in 10 languages from the Grotto of Lourdes at www.lourdes-france.org/en/lourdes-united.

For more than 160 years, the sanctuary has been an essential place for millions of people who visit each year, seeking hope, healing, fraternity and deepened faith, the event's promoters said in a news release June 30.

"The world is facing an unprecedented economic and social crisis, coupled with an unprecedented quest for meaning," it said.

And the "Lourdes United e-pilgrimage will bring together all those who, in the four corners of the world, see Lourdes as a beacon of faith, commitment, sharing and hope," it added.

Navigating the top of the homepage at www.lourdes-france.org/en/, visitors can also find ways to request a Mass, light a candle and place a prayer petition in the grotto.

-- Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service