Mass at shrine commemorates centennial of first priestly ordinations at “Mary’s House” in Washington

By Richard Szczepanowski

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — As part of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception’s ongoing celebration of 100 years of worship at the “House of Mary,” as it is often called, Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory offered a Mass of thanksgiving for all priests who have been ordained or otherwise connected to the Church.

“You have arrived at the place where you began your ritual journey to become a priest of Christ,” Cardinal Gregory told the dozens of priests who participated in the late afternoon liturgy Aug. 22. “It is here that a life-giving grace was granted to you for the sanctification of the people of God. It is here that you received ordination and committed your lives to the ministry of the Church.”

The cardinal added that “for 100 years, this shrine has been the place where youthful dreams have been realized, where the Lord’s mission has gained new collaborators, where the Church has been strengthened by the promises that you and countless others have made to continue the ministry of Christ.”

More than 100 people attended the Mass in the crypt, which Cardinal Gregory called “an underground chapel…in this sacred basilica.”

Noting that priests entering the national shrine should recall memories of their ordination, the cardinal said: “Your hearts have many memories that were born here at the shrine of Our Lady. I pray that as you enter this building, these memories will fill you with great happiness and deep gratitude.”

Cardinal Gregory, who as archbishop of Washington is chairman of the shrine’s board of trustees, was the principal celebrant at the Mass.

Among those concelebrating the Mass were Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop emeritus of Washington and chairman of the newly established National Shrine Trust basilica; Washington Auxiliary Bishops Roy E. Campbell Jr., Evelio Menjivar and Juan Esposito; Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia; and Bishop Alfred A. Schlert of Allentown, Pennsylvania, both members of the shrine’s board of trustees; and Benedictine Abbot James Wiseman of St. Anselm Abbey in Washington.

The Mass was celebrated on the occasion of the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII instituted this feast in 1954 “so that all may recognize more clearly and venerate more piously the merciful and maternal dominion of the Mother of God.” It is celebrated exactly one week after the Solemnity of the Assumption.

This year marks the centenary of the first public Mass celebrated at the National Shrine. On Easter Sunday 1924, in the still unfinished crypt of the shrine, Mass was celebrated publicly for the first time.

That first Mass, said Monsignor Walter Rossi, rector of the shrine, was “celebrated in the middle of a construction zone, with a wooden altar made by Father John Carroll,” who in 1789 became the first bishop of the new United States, leading the new Diocese of Baltimore, which then included the original 13 states.

Three months after the Mass celebrated at the national shrine in 1924, the first priestly ordinations took place in the crypt. Bishop Rossi said the centennial Mass was offered “to honor all the priests in the United States, especially those who were ordained here at the Shrine of Mary or who simply joined us on a pilgrimage or a simple private visit.”

In his homily, Cardinal Gregory told the priests that it was “a blessing that we all share today in this sacred place of prayer. We have returned to a place with memories of dates that changed our lives forever.”

“For 100 years, families, friends and colleagues have rejoiced in the ordination events that have taken place in this sacred sanctuary – among them are your own cherished memories of that moment when God’s Holy Spirit shared with you the priestly office of Christ,” Cardinal Gregory said.

The cardinal also said that all priests are linked to the national shrine because at their ordination, “wherever you are, on whatever date, you were here with Mary.”

He also said that for those ordained at the shrine, the specific dates may vary, but “the place is the same for all of you and for me, as I rejoice with you in this place where my own life has been united with the Archdiocese of Washington.”

Archbishop Gregory was installed as the seventh archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington on May 21, 2019, at the National Shrine. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis on November 28, 2020.

Although the first public Mass at the National Shrine was celebrated 100 years ago, the history of the shrine goes back even further.

In 1913, Bishop Thomas Shahan, rector of the Catholic University of America, proposed building a national shrine to Our Lady under her title of Immaculate Conception. It is under this title that Mary is honored as the patron saint of the United States.

He presented his project to Pope Pius X (canonized in 1954), who supported the construction of such a church and made a donation to help with its construction.

In 1920, Cardinal James Gibbons of Baltimore blessed the cornerstone and construction began. Masses were celebrated in the crypt during its construction. In 1932, the Great Depression interrupted construction of the Great Upper Church, and the onset of World War II further delayed construction. In 1954, construction resumed to complete the church. It was designated a basilica in 1990.

Today, the National Shrine includes more than 80 ethnically and culturally diverse chapels and oratories dedicated to Our Lady and representing the various titles under which she is venerated and honored by people around the world.

Since that first mass, officials at the national shrine say more than 800,000 masses have been celebrated there, as well as nearly 7,000 ordinations.

The August 22 Mass continues the annual celebration of 100 years of worship at the national shrine. Last March, on Easter Sunday, Cardinal Gregory celebrated Mass using special liturgical objects, including the same chalice that was used at the first Mass 100 years ago, Bishop Shahan’s crosier and Pope Pius XII’s Marian Year cruets.