WASHINGTON — Fifteen-year-old Jacob Joseph Varghes said his weekend pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington will help him discern a vocation to the priesthood.
Visiting the basilica for the first time, Jacob journeyed alongside other parishioners from Holy Family Parish in Fresh Meadows. He said it was a blessing to be there.
“I try to pray the rosary as much as I possibly can because I feel like I want Mary to nurture my vocation into the priesthood and make sure that it’s for me,” Jacob said. “I feel like Mary is such a powerful woman, and I feel like I would love to be half of the person Mary is. I pray for [her intercession] that Mary could help in my day-to-day life.”
Jacob was one of nearly 4,000 pilgrims on 72 buses from the Diocese of Brooklyn who journeyed to the basilica on Oct. 25 as part of the diocese’s bi-annual pilgrimage to the nation’s capital. Led by Bishop Robert Brennan, the number of pilgrims is a record high for the diocese, which Holy Family Pastor Father Sean Suckiel attributes to a resurgence of faith in the diocese.
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“Something beautiful is happening in the hearts of our young people, and not just our young people, but all people,” Father Suckiel said. “Everyone is looking for more. Everyone is looking for substance, and I think people are starting to find out that our faith is beautiful and doing things like this is an opportunity for us to grow in community together, to feel connected, but also feel connected to God.”
Father Suckiel, who said he has made four pilgrimages to the basilica as a priest in the diocese, reminded his parishioners that the pilgrimage is more than a trip, but an opportunity to encounter God. To help them prepare spiritually, he prayed the rosary and helped them reflect on why they chose to participate.
The pilgrimage began with a procession into the Great Upper Church with Bishop Brennan, who led the faithful in praying the rosary and celebrating Mass. Throughout the day, pilgrims were invited to participate in Youth Holy Hour and Benediction in the Crypt Church, a choral concert in the Great Upper Church, and confession.
Bishop Brennan said he wasn’t shocked by the number of pilgrims, noting that he can sense the diocese’s “strong sense of faith and devotion.”
“Believe me, I’m thrilled about it, but it kind of fits with the picture we’ve experienced back at home,” Bishop Brennan said.
During the rosary, he reminded the pilgrims of Pope Leo XIV’s call for Catholics to pray a daily rosary for peace through October, especially regarding Ukraine and the Holy Land. He also thanked them — especially the youth — for participating in the pilgrimage.
“It’s extremely uplifting,” Bishop Brennan said. “When I was leading the rosary and looking out and seeing the whole basilica full to the brim — that was such a welcome sight, and to hear the voices of people united in prayer, I think that we’re a very blessed Church in Brooklyn and Queens.”
Noting the Jubilee Year theme Pilgrims of Hope, Bishop Brennan said the pilgrimage is done in devotion to Mary, “the mother of hope to all of us.”
“Mary, through her answer to God’s call, through her waiting at the foot of the cross, and to her assumption, is for us a sign of hope,” Bishop Brennan said. “A sign of hope in terms of saying yes to God, a sign of hope in terms of being patient and suffering, and a sign of hope that where Mary is now, we hope to be.”
The basilica itself tells a story about the faithful’s devotion to Mary. Its Trinity Dome Mosaic depicts the Holy Trinity, Mary Immaculate, and the Communion of Saints with over 14 million tiles. The Romanesque-Byzantine church was built thanks to the small donations of Catholic immigrants across the United States.
Each of the basilica’s more than 80 chapels represents a particular devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary from around the world, including the Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel. This Mexican Marian devotion caught the eye of Carolina Carollo, a parishioner of St. Mary, Mother of Jesus Parish in Bath Beach.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe (is) small, but it’s beautiful,” Carollo said. “It’s done so nice, with the walls, the mosaic, and all the colors and the flowers in the front.
“Beautiful, we’re happy to be here.”
Carollo traveled to the nation’s capital with her daughter, Emma.
“It’s really interesting and it’s breathtaking and I’m speechless, honestly, looking at everything,” Emma said.
Carollo said she and Emma couldn’t help but notice the Our Lady of Brezje Chapel, a Slovenian Marian devotion, where they encountered an image of the Blessed Mother that was new to her.
“I’ve seen a lot of images of the Blessed Mother because there’s so many of them … but this one is so precious, it’s pretty and it just drew me near,” Carollo said. “It calls you, and that’s what we are here for, to be called.”
Other chapels echo Marian devotions from Ireland, the Philippines, Korea, Hungary, and other countries.
Father Alonzo Cox, pastor of St. Martin de Porres parish in Bedford-Stuyvesant and one of the pilgrimage organizers, said he initially expected around 3,000 pilgrims, which the basilica can comfortably accommodate. However, as the day of the pilgrimage approached, he noticed a sudden surge in pilgrims.
“[That’s] great because we’re in this [Jubilee Year of Hope], so I think it was an opportunity for people to come to this beautiful place and to be able to celebrate this year of hope and be able to do it through the intercession of our Blessed Mother,” said Father Cox, who is director of liturgy for the diocese. “A beautiful day like today really was a gift from the Holy Spirit.”