WASHINGTON (OSV News) ─ Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory celebrated a Sept. 22 Mass to mark the 125th anniversary of the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington by reminding the faithful the church building is "something far more precious than a simple structure or a functional edifice."
"This monastery -- indeed every church -- reflects the holiness of the Son and the love that he has for his Father and for all those who belong to him," Cardinal Gregory told the nearly 200 people who gathered for the Mass.
He said the monastery serves as "a symbol of how you must live in relationship with God and one another."
"It is far more than simply a holy shrine -- it is a sacred and visible reminder of the land where Jesus chose to live, to grow and to offer his sacrificial life," the cardinal told those gathered for the anniversary Mass. "Bricks and mortar must become a living sign of your dignity and of your faith and of God's presence within this community."
Concelebrating the Mass with Cardinal Gregory were Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, the custos of the Holy Land and guardian of the Holy Shrines of Christianity; Franciscan Father Ramzi Sidawi, guardian of the monastery; retired Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden of Baltimore and retired Bishop Paul S. Loverde of Arlington, Virginia, both of whom serve as co-chairmen of the monastery's honorary board of directors; a representative from the apostolic nunciature in Washington; and more than 20 Franciscan priests.
Among those attending the Mass were members of various men's and women's religious orders; Peter Kilpatrick, the president of The Catholic University of America; members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; benefactors of the monastery and others.
In his homily, Cardinal Gregory said that all who enter the monastery or other such sacred places "renew our oneness in Christ and therefore our union with the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit."
"These sacred grounds are a reminder to all who visit that you are the real church built from living stones -- and far more sacred and pleasing to God than any wonderous edifice that we might ever erect," he said.
Because the monastery trains and prepares Franciscan friars to serve and minister in the Holy Land and also raises funds for charitable works and for the support of the people and the holy sites there, Cardinal Gregory said assisting the friars with prayers and contributions is "now more desperately needed than perhaps ever before."
Pointing to the ongoing conflict in the Holy Land, the cardinal said news from the war-torn region "remind us of the suffering of thousands of people who live in that sacred territory."
"The splendor of this shrine casts a light on hidden sorrow that too many people must now endure," Cardinal Gregory lamented. "For 125 years, this monastery has stood as a visible reflection of Palestine now in our neighborhood. May our hearts this day reverence the holiness of that place and its needs at this moment."
That conflict was also mentioned by Father Patton. In brief remarks after the Mass, the custos asked for "constant prayers" for the Christian community living in the Holy Land and affected by the war.
The cardinal's Mass was part of a series of events commemorating the monastery's anniversary. Other events included an organ concert; a special Mass to honor the feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis on its 800th anniversary; a conference with Father Patton; a family activities day; and a daily ongoing exhibition of the monastery's 125-year history with artifacts, photos and documents.
The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America is located in the Brookland section of Northeast Washington. Brookland is affectionately known as "Little Rome," because it is home to many Catholic institutions, churches and schools, including The Catholic University of America and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
The monastery was established when Franciscan Father Godfrey Schilling and several fellow Franciscans relocated from Staten Island, New York, and purchased the property in 1897 with the plan to build a "Holy Land in America."
Those friars sought to found a monastery that would train American Franciscan missionaries to minister at the shrines in the Holy Land and to serve the people who live there; to provide a place in this country for people who could not travel to the Holy Land to experience it; and to raise money to support the works of the Franciscans in the Holy Land.
Construction on the church began just after the property was purchased, was completed in 1899, and dedicated on Sept. 17 of that year.
"Father Schilling and those intrepid friars found a space in Brookland to be a place where the Holy Land could be recreated in our country," Cardinal Gregory said.
Perched atop a small hill on 44 acres of ground, the monastery and its grounds include replicas of Holy Land shrines connected with the life of Jesus and the Catholic Church. It offers replicas and reproductions of the place of the Annunciation in Nazareth; the Bethlehem Grotto of the Nativity; the altar erected above the spot where Christ was crucified on Mount Calvary; the Holy Sepulcher and the chapel of the angel in front of the tomb.
"This splendid shrine is a reflection of the land many miles away that is most frequently called the Holy Land," Cardinal Gregory said in his homily. "So, we are in a holy land today if we but close our eyes and open our hearts to the wonders of this shrine."
Underneath the monastery is an elaborate reconstruction of the underground catacombs of Rome.
While the monastery offers re-creations of holy sites, Cardinal Gregory said that the altar in the church "is the point of greatest holiness because it is the place where the perfect sacrifice is renewed during each Mass."
"From this altar will be taken the sacrament of the Eucharist -- the enduring presence of Christ under the forms of bread and wine, the abiding gift of himself," he said.
Outside, the monastery church is surrounded by a Rosary Portico with chapels depicting the mysteries of the rosary. The portico contains nearly 200 plaques with the "Hail Mary" rendered in different ancient and modern languages.
Small chapels for each of the 14 Stations of the Cross form a ring about the monastery's lower formal gardens.
The gardens include a shrine to St. Anne; and reproductions of the 12th-century Crusader chapel that sits above the place where Christ ascended into heaven; the tomb of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and the Franciscan Chapel of the Portiuncula (Our Lady of the Angels).
The gardens also feature a variety of flowers, plants, shrubs and trees. In the center is a replica of the grotto of Lourdes where St. Bernadette saw Our Lady, who identified herself as the Immaculate Conception. It is under that title that Mary is honored as patroness of the United States of America.
The monastery is open daily for Mass, confessions and guided tours. Father Patton said a plenary indulgence has been granted to those who visit the monastery during this anniversary year. To receive a plenary indulgence, a person must go to confession, receive the Eucharist and pray for the intentions of the pope.
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Richard Szczepanowski is managing editor of the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington.
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