On the Feast Day of Saint John Paul II, nearly 200 O’Connell juniors participated in a special pilgrimage to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington D.C.
The group was able to view and learn from the permanent exhibit on the life of Saint John Paul II. They were also treated to a tour of the extraordinary mosaics which were created for the shrine by Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik. These masterpieces adorn the walls of both chapels at the shrine, including the new Redemptor Hominis Chapel, and they depict various biblical scenes, from Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, to the life of Christ. Father Jonah Lynch, who worked with the installation of the mosaics at the shrine, provided the group with insights on these magnificent images.
Father Michele Benetti, who organized the pilgrimage, concelebrated Mass at the shrine. He later reiterated the words from the readings to the O’Connell group when describing the personal significance of the day: “Bring Christ into our being…Let Christ be born in you.”
“This pilgrimage has made an indelible spiritual impact on not just our students, but also the chaperones,” said Dr. Daniel Stabile, who accompanied the O’Connell group.
Read more about this pilgrimage in Mr. Roque's weekly blog on student life.
For more information on the shrine, visit www.jp2shrine.org.
