Top Catholic Heritage Sites in Pope Host Cities: NYC, DC, Philly

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Beth J. Harpaz, The Associated Press, September 11, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Pope Francis will visit three U.S. cities, Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia, Sept. 22-27. For travelers with an interest in sacred places, here are some of the top Catholic heritage sites — including several on the pope's itinerary — in those cities.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.

St. Matthew's Cathedral, 1725 Rhode Island Ave. NW; www.stmatthewscathedral.org . Site of President John F. Kennedy's funeral Mass; on pope's itinerary.

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave. NE, www.nationalshrine.com . One of the largest churches in the world; on pope's itinerary. Located next to Catholic University.

Holy Trinity Church, 3513 N St. NW, http://trinity.org/ . Founded in 1792 as the city's first Catholic Church; located in Georgetown.

St. Augustine Catholic Church, 15th and V streets NW, http://saintaugustine-dc.org/ . Founded in 1858 by emancipated black Catholics.

Franciscan Monastery, 1400 Quincy St. NE, www.myfranciscan.org . Shrines, catacombs, gardens. Tours offered daily.

Saint John Paul II National Shrine, 3900 Harewood Road NE, www.jp2shrine.org . Relics, exhibit, services.

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NEW YORK

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st streets, near Rockefeller Center, www.saintpatrickscathedral.org . Seat of the New York Archdiocese. Bronze doors bear carved images of New Yorkers who have been canonized; on pope's itinerary.

Old St. Patrick's Cathedral, Mott and Prince streets, www.oldsaintpatricks.com . Cathedral opened 1815.

St. Peter's, Barclay and Church streets, http://spcolr.org/ . Located a block from the World Trade Center. Church was damaged on Sept. 11, 2001. Parish dates to the 1700s.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine in Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 7 State St., near the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Seton was the first U.S.-born saint.

St. Frances Cabrini Shrine, 701 Fort Washington Ave., near 190th Street in Washington Heights, www.cabrinishrinenyc.org . Shrine honors Frances Xavier Cabrini, Italian immigrant, considered patroness of immigrants.

The Cloisters, located in Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights, http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/visit-the-cloisters. Museum assembled from portions of Medieval European cloisters, owned by the Metropolitan Museum. Stained glass windows and tapestries showing "The Hunt of the Unicorn."

Billboard: Not a sacred spot, but a 225-foot portrait of the pope adorns building at Eighth Avenue and 34th Street, near Madison Square Garden, where the pope is scheduled to celebrate Mass.

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PHILADELPHIA

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, www.cathedralphila.org . Knotted Grotto outside the basilica, dedicated to Mary, Undoer of Knots. Seat of the Philadelphia archdiocese; on pope's itinerary.

St. John Neumann shrine, 1019 N. 5th St., www.stjohnneumann.org . Shrine honors 18th-century Philadelphia bishop credited with expanding the U.S. Catholic education system.

St. Rita of Cascia, 1166 S. Broad St., www.saintritashrine.org . Shrine began as a parish church dedicated to St. Rita — known as "saint of the impossible" and the "peacemaker" — to help welcome Italian immigrants.

Central Association of the Miraculous Medal, 475 E. Chelten Ave., http://cammonline.org/ . Dedicated to Mary. Stained glass and sculpture.

Old St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, 321 Willings Alley, www.oldstjoseph.org . Philadelphia's oldest Catholic community, founded and staffed by Jesuits.

Old St. Mary's Church, 252 S. 4th St., www.oldstmary.com . Built in 1763. Site of the first public religious commemoration of the Declaration of Independence; visited by George Washington and John Adams.

Elsewhere in Pennsylvania:

St. Katharine Drexel shrine, 1663 Bristol Pike, Bensalem, www.katharinedrexel.org. Shrine honors an heiress who spent her fortune improving the lives of African-Americans and Native Americans.

National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, 654 Ferry Road, Doylestown, www.czestochowa.us. Polish-American Roman Catholic shrine; houses reproduction of Black Madonna icon of Czestochowa, Poland.

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, 100 E. Wynnewood Road, Wynnewood, www.scs.edu . Founded in 1832. On pope's itinerary. (Not open to public week of pope's visit.)

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Associated Press writer Natalie Pompilio contributed to this story.

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Online:

http://www.popefrancisvisit.com/

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This story has been corrected to show that the pope's visit to three U.S. cities will take place Sept. 22-27.

 

This article was written by Beth J. Harpaz from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.