Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

(Photos/ http://cammonline.org)

Destination: An outgrowth of a devotion to Mary, the Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was established for the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal in Philadelphia. The CAMM was formed in 1915 and directed by its founder, Father Joseph Skelly, CM. Each Monday since 1927, nine novena services are held. Check the website for details.
Masses  are 9 a.m. Sunday; 12:05 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 7 and 9 a.m., 12:05 and 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Photos: Left--The shrine is housed in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception.
Right--A mosaic at the shrine shows an image of the first apparition of Mary and the medal to St. Catherine Labouré in Paris, Nov.  27, 1830.
Why to go: The shrine on the west side of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, which had been dedicated to St. Vincent de Paul, was enlarged, remodeled and rededicated to Mary the Immaculate. Father Skelly, considered it the “center and heart” of CAMM.
Hours: During the World Meeting of Families, Sept. 20-28, shrine hours are Monday: 6:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday 8-10 a.m. The website lists regular hours. There will be historical tours on Saturdays until Oct. 3.Extras: Near the shrine is the the Museum of the Miraculous Medal Shrine, containing more than 500 pieces of religious art, ranging in date, technique, origin, and subject. The museum is at 475 E. Chelten Ave. Museum hours are 1-3 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, or by  appointment by calling 215/848-1010.
Accessibility: As the top picture shows, there are stairs to the main shrine entrance, but it is accessible to the handicapped.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Of course.
Info: Address — Miraculous Medal Shrine, 500 E. Chelten Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19144 Phone — 215/848-1010 Web — http://cammonline.org

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Shrine of St. Gianna Beretta Molla - Warminster, Pennsylvania

The Catholic World Meeting of Families will be held in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, Sept. 22-27, 2015. Learn more about the meeting at www.worldmeeting2015.org/. This is one of several shrines in the Philadephia area that we’ll highlight before the meeting.  

(Observer screen shot)

Destination: If you are driving to the World Meeting of Families (or renting a car while there), you may want to plan a side trip to the Shrine of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. But the shrine is only open on weekends, so plan accordingly.
Masses at Nativity of Our Lord Parish, where the shrine is located, are 5 p.m. Saturdays; 8, 10 a.m. and noon Sundays; 6:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Why to go: St. Gianna Beretta Molla was a mother who gave her life that her child might live. She and St. Pope John Paul II have been selected patrons of the meeting. A physician, she well understood the choice she was making. The shrine houses special relics — a pair of gloves that belonged to the saint. They were presented to the shrine by her late husband with one condition. He asked that they be available to people to touch and handle instead of being locked behind glass. His request provides a rare opportunity for those who visit the Shrine of St. Gianna.
Shrine hours: Two sets of hours for veneration of the unsealed relics of St. Gianna are listed on the website. In a pop-up on the home page, they are listed as  the second Saturday of every month, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Shrine hours are 3:30-5 p.m. Saturdays and after Masses until 2 p.m. Sundays. Group arrangements are available by reservation.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Children are always welcome, but should behave as they would at any parish.
Info: Address — Shrine of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, Nativity of Our Lord Church, 625 West Street Road, Warminster, PA 18974 Phone — 215/657-3101 Web — http://saintgianna.org

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Catholic World Meeting of Families will be held in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, Sept. 22-27, 2015. Learn more about the meeting at www.worldmeeting2015.org/. This is one of several shrines in the Philadephia area that we’ll highlight before the meeting. 

(Photo http://cathedralphila.org)

(CNS photo/Nancy
Phelan Wiechec)

Destination: On April 8, 1808, Pope Pius VII established Baltimore as the first archdiocese in the United States and created four new dioceses: Philadelphia, Boston, New York and Bardstown, Kentucky. This September, the now-Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be the host of the World Meeting of Families and Pope Francis will be there. 
Regular Mass times at the cathedral are Saturday 7:15 a.m., 12:05 p.m. in the chapel and 5:15 p.m. in the basilica; Sunday 8 a.m. English and 12:30 p.m. Spanish, chapel; 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., basilica; Monday-Friday, 7:15 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. Mass times may vary if you go during the World Meeting of Families, so check locally.
The photos show the second-story windows and art (left) and the dome (right) of the cathedral.

Why to go: The historic church, open since 1864, features a carved walnut organ screen casing in the choir loft. The website says, “The richly ornamental screen is the design of Otto Eggers, who also designed the Jefferson Monument, the Mellon Art Gallery, and the National Gallery of Art, all in Washington, D.C.”
Anti-Catholic sentiment was high in Philadelphia when construction began on the cathedral, so it was designed without windows at street level to discourage vandals. The design is based on the Lombard Church of St. Charles (San Carlo al Corso) in Rome, and is an example of Roman-Corinthian architecture. Cast bronze doors leading to the narthex and bronze handrails were added in a 1950s renovation.
There’s an audio tour of the cathedral basilica for MP3 players. It’s about 20 minutes long and you can download it free from the Visitor Information page (under About on the home page).

Special events: The cathedral basilica is celebrating its 150th year and three more choral concerts are scheduled in May. Details are at http://cathedralphilaconcerts.org/events/

(Grand) Kid friendly: Children are always welcome.

Info: Address: Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Phone: 215/561-1313 Web: http://cathedralphila.org/

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas toseasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

(Photo/www.SaintRitaShrine.org)

The Catholic World Meeting of Families will be held in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, Sept. 22-27, 2015. Learn more about the meeting at www.worldmeeting2015.org/. This is the second of several shrines in the Philadephia area that
we’ll highlight before the meeting.
Destination: The National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia is in the south part of Philadephia, near its Italian Market. It is dedicated to St. Rita, a 15th century wife, mother, widow and nun. She is known as a peacemaker, as someone who  helped others seek reconciliation and who aided those in difficulty.
Masses are offered Saturday at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m.; Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.; Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.; Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Why to go:  Philadephia’s Archbishop Patrick Ryan established the parish in 1907 after receiving a large donation from Lucas Burke. The parish was entrusted to the Augustinian Friars, who continue serving the shrine community today. After serving the city’s immigrants and its changing neighborhoods for 80 years, it had fallen into disrepair. Renovation began in the 1990s, leading to its recognition as a national shrine in 2000.
The shrine is home to a variety of art­ — including sculpture, stained glass and more — that highlights the life of St. Rita. Plan your visit by checking the virtual tour on the shrine website.
Amenities: There is a gift shop. Hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; and after Mass until 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Special events: Beginning last month and continuing through May 2015, the Augustinian friars at the shrine are offering a healing Mass at 2 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month.
Admission: Hours are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. The Mission is closed Easter Sunday and Monday, Thanksgiving, and from Dec. 24 through Dec. 26. Cost is $6.50 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for children over 7, free  for children under 6.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Children are welcome, as they would be to any church.
Info: Address: National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia, 1166 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19146. Phone: 215/546-8333. Web: www.SaintRitaShrine.org

 - Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

National Shrine of St. John Nepomucene Neumann - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

(Photo/www.stjohnneumann.org)

The Catholic World Meeting of Families will be held in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, Sept. 22-27, 2015. Learn more about the meeting at  www.worldmeeting2015.org/. In future issues, we’ll highlight shrines in the Philadephia area.
Destination: The national shrine at St. Peter the Apostle Parish (in photo) is the final resting place of St. John Nepomucene Neumann. Born in Bohemia, he came to America in 1836. He was ordained a priest in New York the same year, served as the fourth bishop of Philadelphia and was declared a saint in 1977 by Pope Paul VI.
Masses are offered in the lower church Monday-Saturday at 7:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Sunday at 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. (in Spanish), and 3:30 p.m.; and in the upper church at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Why to go: The parish is where St. John Neumann asked to be buried. He was the first priest to profess vows as a Redemptorist in the U.S. and he wanted to be buried near the priests of his order. His body can be viewed in the lower level church, near the Shrine Museum. 
As a young man, he knew he wanted to become a missionary to America, so he learned English. Having studied Italian in seminary in Boehemia, he used that knowledge to minister to Italian immigrants. He founded the first national parish for Italians in the U.S. He also learned enough Irish to hear confessions in that language.
St. John also unified Philadelphia schools in a diocesan system and founded the Third Order of St. Francis of Glen Riddle.
Though St. John never lived at the church where he is buried, he visited there often. Built to serve a German immigrant population, it was consecrated in 1847, five years after property was bought for the parish.
Amenities: A gift shop is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Admission: Shrine hours are Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.- 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Museum hours are Monday-Friday, 8a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, 8 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Depending on the time of year you visit, school may be in session. Visiting youngsters should be a little quiet as they visit the church and museum.
Info: Address: The National Shrine of St. John Neumann, 1019 N. Fifth St., Philadelphia, PA 19123. Phone: 215/627-3080 . Web: http://www.stjohnneumann.org/shrine.html

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org