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

Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies -- Canmore, Alberta, Canada

(CNS photo)

Destination:  The Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies is a new church for the parish, which dates back to the 1800s, and the first Marian shrine in the Diocese of Calgary in Canada. Pilgrimages, conferences and other events are planned once pandemic restrictions are eased.

Masses at the shrine, as at so many places right now, require reservations. That may change by the time you plan your trip to Alberta. Check the website for updates.

Why to go: The Virgin Mary is sitting with her son Jesus in a lush Alberta forest, surrounded by deer drinking from a gurgling stream, with the majestic Three Sisters peaks in the background.

“The window cries out to you ‘Rocky Mountains,’ and there is Our Lady in the midst of that,” said Father Nathan Siray, pastor of Our Lady of the Rockies Parish. “That’s kind of our No. 1 devotional image to Our Lady of the Rockies that is completely unique to this building.”

The powerful image is set in custom-made stained glass, one of the focal points of the new $20 million (US$14.8 million) church in the mountain community of Canmore, about 15 miles southeast of Banff. Bishop William McGrattan dedicated the new 17,000-square-foot church May 30, during a Mass that was livestreamed on the Diocese of Calgary’s Facebook page because of the restrictions. The first public Mass in the new church was celebrated June 8.

The new church is at the edge of town, off the Trans-Canada Highway, and figures prominently when motorists arrive.

The exterior design reflects a European-style alpine church. That was the vision of Father Bryan Frank, a former pastor of Our Lady of the Rockies, and Guy Turcotte, a parishioner and the developer of Silvertip Resort in Canmore, who donated the roughly three-acre property for the church.

Accessibility: Precautions because of COVID-19 are limiting tours to 10 people who must wear masks and sign-up in advance. Details are on the sign-up page. Find the link on the home page.  

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies, 2 Silvertip Trail, Canmore, AB  T1W 2Z7

Phone — 1-403-678-5022

Website — https://www.rockiesparish.com/

— Andrew Ehrkamp, CNS; Sharon Boehlefeld contributed this story

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Knights of Columbus Museum -- New Haven, Conn.

(Courtesy photo)

Destination: Currently closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Knights of Columbus Museum in Connecticut is worth working into your future travel plans.

Masses are not offered at the museum. 

Why to go: The Knights of  Columbus are a uniquely American order founded by Father Michael J. McGiveny in 1882. Its stated purpose is “to provide members and their families with volunteer opportunities in service to the Catholic Church, their communities’ familes and young people,” according to its website.

The museum, founded in honor of the centennial of the Knights of Columbus, has several permanent displays along with a variety of temporary ones. Among its permanent exhibits is one devoted to the charter chapter, San Salvador Council 1, founded by Father McGiveny in 1882 at St. Mary Parish in New Haven, Conn.

A memorial to Knights of Columbus members who died as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks includes two pieces of steel from the World Trade Center.

A cross that is more than 400 years old and sat atop St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome hangs on a museum stairway wall. In 1985, Pope St. John Paul II gave it to the Knights of Columbus to thank them for funding to restore the basilica’s façade.

Hours: Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Watch the website for reopening details. In the meantime, the museum is offering online programs through the website.

Accessibility: The museum is likely to be handicapped accessible, but it’s hard to check for sure. The website was only partially functional when we visited. You’ll be able to learn much, but in this case, a phone call may prove useful.  

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — Knights of Columbus Museum, 1 State St., New Haven,CT 0651 

Phone — 203-865-0400 

Website — https://www.kofc.org/en/news-room/articles/knights-of-columbus-museum.html

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Oldest Catholic Churches - San Miguel Chapel -- Santa Fe, N.M.

(Photos/San Miguel Chapel)

Destination: We’re finishing off our series on the oldest Catholic churches in the U.S. with San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe, N.M., founded sometime in the 17th century. It is yet another indication of the Spanish introduction of Catholicism to the new world.

Masses offered at the chapel are a Latin Mass at 3 p.m. and an ordinary form English Mass at 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Photos: Exterior (top) and interior (below) of San Miguel Chapel.

Why to go: The earliest record of the existence of San Miguel Chapel is from 1628, and it was built sometime before that year. The parish website says oral history says it was built around 1610. A fire in 1680 destroyed the first building, and it has been rebuilt and restored several times over the past 400 years. 

The parish was established as the “Hermita de San Miguel,” and was built on the site of an ancient kiva — a gathering place — of the Analco Indians. Tlaxcalan (Tas-cal’-en) Indians, who  are believed to have built the church, came to New Mexico from old Mexico in 1598 with the Spanish. At that time, the parish served a small group of Tlaxcalan Indians, laborers, and Spanish soldiers who lived in the area on the south side of the Santa Fe River.

The wooden altar screen, or reredos, at the front of  the chapel is one of the oldest in New Mexico. An inscription dates the screen to 1798. Credit for the work is given to “Laguna Santero,” an anonymous artist who was active and influential in New Mexico between 1796 and 1808. 

Hours: The chapel is open before and between Sunday Masses and  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Accessibility: The chapel is at ground-level, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for anyone to enter.

(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.

Info: Address — San Miguel Chapel of Santa Fe, 401 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Phone — 505-983-3974

Website — http://sanmiguelchapel.org/

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story

Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Oldest Catholic Churches: St. Francis Xavier Church -- Leonardtown, Md.

(Observer screengrab/parish website)

Destination: This Maryland parish, which celebrated its 350th anniversary a few years ago, represents the arrival of the first English-speaking Catholics in the original colonies and the second oldest continuous parish in the U.S. 
Masses are offered Saturday at 4 p.m.; Sunday at 8 and 11 a.m.; Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8 a.m.
Photos: A photo of the parish in winter in 1962 (top) is credited to a priest on the parish website. An archaeological dig of the parish grounds (below)  took place in 2011.
Why to go: Catholicism in English-speaking America began in Maryland and most of the events of the intervening centuries have been witnessed by Newtowne, Md.  The St. Francis Xavier website explains Newtowne was the first settlement in the Maryland province after the original at St. Mary’s City. The church is within view of St. Clement’s Island where English colonists first landed in 1634. The Piscataway Indians and their forebearers occupied the site for many centuries before Europeans arrived.
The landowner, William Bretton, invited Jesuit priests to begin missionary activity in the area in 1640, but chapels and churches were not built so Catholics wouldn’t offend the English authorities.
Twice in the early years — in 1645 and 1655 — the Jesuit missionaries fled to avoid anti-Catholic activites, but returned each time.

(Observer screengrab/parish website)

When Charles II became king of England in 1660, the religious tolerance that had been the hallmark of the colony was re-established in Maryland.  In 1661 Bretton and his wife, Temperance, donated 1.5 acres of land so the Newtowne congregation could build a chapel and establish a cemetery. The chapel was built in 1662 and the cemetery is still in use.
In 2011, shortly before the parish celebrated its 350th anniversary, an archaeological dig of the grounds uncovered artifacts of both native American and English colonial settlement.
Accessibility: The website offers no information about accessiblity, but look for a virtual tour on the website to plan your trip.
(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome.
Info: Address — St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 21370 Newtowne Neck Road, Leonardtown, MD  20650
Phone — 301-475-9885
Website — https://stfrancisxavierchurch.org/

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story 
Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Oldest Catholic Churches: San Fernando Cathedral - San Antonio, Texas

Destination: The third oldest church still in use in the U.S. is part of the Cathedral of San Fernando in San Antonio, Texas. Called “The Oldest Cathedral Sanctuary in the United States” on its parish bulletin, the church was founded in 1731. It is the oldest Catholic Church still functioning in Texas.
Masses are offered Saturday at 5 p.m.; Sunday in Spanish at 6, and 8 a.m. and 12 noon, in English at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; bilingual at 5 p.m.; Monday, Friday bilingual at 12:05 p.m.; Monday, Thursday bilingual at 5:30 p.m.; Saturday in Spanish at 8 a.m.
Photos: exterior (top); an old picture shows the exterior of the cathedral early in its history before the city surrounded it. 
Why to go: Fifteen families from the Canary Islands came to San Antonio after being invited by King Phillip V of Spain. They were the founding families of the San Fernando Cathedral.
It has served Catholics in the city more than 280 years. For almost 95 years in its past, it served all denominations in San Antonio because the Catholic Church was the official religion of both Spain and Mexico, which claimed the land before Texas became an independent nation.
It was intended to be the center of the city’s life, according to the cathedral website.  While it was surrounded by wide open spaces once, today San Antonio city buildings, including City Hall and the Justice Center among others, are its neighbors.

Today, more than 5,000 people attend weekend Masses at the cathedral, in addition to hundreds who come in each day to pray.
Amenities: The gift shop is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.  and 2-5 p.m. and Sunday 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. The cathedral is selling a 2020 Fiesta Medal for $10 plus shipping. Look for details under Fiesta on its website.
Accessibility: The cathedral has stairs in the front. Some areas are accesible to wheelchairs.
Parking may be challenging. Open a bulletin on the web site and look for parking information.
(Grand) Kid friendly: All ages are welcome. Don’t be surprised to see a school tour while you’re there.
Info: Address — San Fernando Cathedral, 115 Main Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone — 210-227-1297
Website — https://sfcathedral.org/

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story
Send Destination ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org