On October 7, 2025—the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary—the Diocese of Allentown traveled to Washington, D.C., for a pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, or Mary’s Shrine. Led by The Most Reverend Alfred A. Schlert, Bishop of Allentown, pilgrims marked the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope with prayer, catechesis, and an afternoon Mass in the Great Upper Church, which drew an overflow congregation. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the largest Roman Catholic church in North America. Its Great Upper Church, expansive Crypt Church, and richly symbolic domes and chapels make it a catechism in stone and mosaic.
Throughout the morning and early afternoon, pilgrims toured the Basilica’s more than 80 chapels and oratories, joined multi-language rosary devotions, and took advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The diocesan program called out a dedicated Youth Holy Hour in the Crypt Church—an especially moving gathering that filled the Crypt Church for Eucharistic adoration, praise and worship, confession, and a focused invitation to discern priestly and religious vocations.
Bishop Schlert served as principal celebrant of the pilgrimage Mass in the Great Upper Church later in the afternoon, a fitting liturgical summit to a day framed by rosary, confession, teaching, and guided visits. The diocesan and Shrine announcements previewed precisely this flow—guided tours and talks, a Youth Holy Hour, reconciliation offered through the day, and Mass—so that parishes and schools could travel together on a common timetable.
Bishop Schlert served as principal celebrant of the pilgrimage Mass
Jubilees in the Catholic tradition are special years of grace, forgiveness, and pilgrimage that recur roughly every 25 years; for 2025, Pope Francis set “hope” as the defining theme. The Basilica—America’s Catholic Church—was designated a special place of pilgrimage for the Jubilee, with the Shrine inviting pilgrims to unite in praying the Jubilee Prayer at Masses and to seek the spiritual benefits associated with Jubilee visits.
In the United States, the Jubilee spirit has encouraged dioceses to name local pilgrimage opportunities as well. Within the Diocese of Allentown, for example, the National Centre for Padre Pio in Barto has been designated as a site for obtaining the Jubilee Plenary Indulgence, offering the faithful additional ways to live the year’s theme close to home.
One of the day’s signature moments was the Youth Holy Hour. The Crypt Church filled to capacity as teens and young adults entered into intense Eucharistic worship. The Diocese promoted this youth-centered time with the Lord alongside the broader rosary and reconciliation schedule, linking vocational discernment with adoration and the sacrament of mercy.
Youth Holy Hour in the Crypt Church
Allentown’s pilgrimages to Mary’s Shrine are part of a recurring diocesan tradition, typically organized every few years and eagerly anticipated by parishes and schools that coordinate bus travel. The National Shrine’s fall pilgrimage calendar has featured Allentown among a lineup of mid-Atlantic dioceses coming to Washington in October, underscoring the Basilica’s role as a national gathering place for Catholic prayer and identity.
Bishop Schlert’s pastoral ties to the Shrine run deeper than a single day’s program. Even when large-scale pilgrimages were delayed several years ago, he made a private visit on behalf of the Diocese to pray at the Basilica’s altars and before the Blessed Sacrament—reminding the faithful that pilgrimage is first and foremost a spiritual movement toward Christ through Mary.
The Diocese’s closing invocation to Our Lady of the Rosary echoed the throughout-the-day focus on Marian intercession and eucharistic devotion. The Shrine’s own reflection on the day singled out the vitality of youth prayer and the capacity crowds that filled both the Crypt Church and Great Upper Church—an encouraging sign for a Jubilee built on the conviction that “hope does not disappoint.”
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