Welcome, Faith Questers, to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception known to locals as The Shrine. Can you guess who is honored here? Your quest begins and ends at the information desk. Be sure to pick up a map. The Shrine is the largest Roman Catholic church in the United States and North America, and it s one of the ten largest churches in the world so a map will be helpful in navigating your way around. In the early 1900 s, Bishop Thomas Shahan, rector of The Catholic University of America, suggested building a national shrine to honor Mary, comparable to the great sanctuaries of Europe. Bishop Shahan presented his plan to Pope Pius X in a private audience in 1913 and received not only enthusiastic support, but a personal contribution from the Pontiff as well. The Shrine has magnificent architecture and an abundance of religious symbols. Because there is so much to see, this quest is limited to a scavenger hunt in the Upper Church. However, if you have time and want a challenge, you may also complete the more difficult, but optional quest for the Crypt level. Either way, we hope your quest at the Shrine will give you some things to think about as you walk through this tribute to Our Blessed Mother. * Once you have finished your quest, head back to the information desk where you can get your passport stamped and find an answer key for the questions. Did you get them all right? We encourage you to pick your favorite chapel and spend some time in prayer during your visit here. The Shrine is designated as one of the nine pilgrimage churches in the Archdiocese of Washington for the Year of Faith. Through the graciousness of the Holy See, Catholics who visit one of the nine pilgrimage churches by November 24, 2013 and fulfill certain conditions will have the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence. (See your Faith Quest passport for more details.) Thanks for visiting the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. There s so much more to see we hope you ll plan another visit soon. * The history of the Shrine and some of the text for the questions were taken from the booklet, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception A Guidebook and Personal Tour.
UPPER CHURCH QUEST: Please be respectful and kindly avoid Questing where Mass is being celebrated. Thank you for your collaboration. 1. There is a marble relief sculpture above the entrance to the Upper Church. It is named Universal Call to Holiness. The sculpture depicts people from various states of life, social classes, and ethnic origins, being drawn to the Holy Spirit. Can you find two familiar faces who were close friends? One was recently canonized and proclaimed a Saint by the Church and the other is a blessed and on way to becoming a saint. Hint: One was a pope and one formed a religious order to serve the poor. and What can we learn from them that will help us grow in holiness? 2. Who are the four figures shown in the Incarnation Dome closest to the entrance? 3. There is a dome over the chancel (the part of the church around the altar) that depicts dozens of flames descending. What New Testament event does this mosaic depict? Hint: This happened after Jesus left the disciples. 4. Fifteen chapels behind the altar represent the joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries of the rosary. Each chapel has a mosaic divided into two parts. The upper part shows the particular mystery of the rosary, while the lower part shows an Old Testament story a kind of hint of what will come in the New Testament mystery. Can you identify the mystery and its corresponding Old Testament scene from one of the chapels?
5. In the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, the tabernacle is shaped like a very important object of the Old Testament. What was that object so important to the Israelites? 6. The sacristy is the area where the sacred vessels, vestments, and other materials are stored and prepared for the Eucharistic liturgy. The entrance is secured by a bronze door which depicts Jesus family tree. It is called the Tree of. Hint: It is named after King David s father. (Matthew 1:6) 7. The nave galleries of the upper church have statues of various saints. Can you identify one of them? What was that saint known for? 8. What four New Testament people are represented in The Redemption Dome? Can you tell something about one of them?
CRYPT LEVEL QUEST (OPTIONAL): Please be respectful and kindly avoid Questing where Mass is being celebrated. Thank you for your collaboration. 1. There is only one person interred in the Founders Chapel. Who is this? Can you tell what his ancestry was based on the style of the crucifix above the altar? There are a number of saints from this country depicted in the chapel. Can you guess who one of them is? Hint: A lot of people celebrate his feast day in March. 2. Several liturgical traditions or rites are presently in use in the Church today. You may be most familiar with the Latin (Roman) rite, but there is a chapel on this level devoted to the Byzantine rite. You ll recognize the Byzantine-Ruthenian chapel by its ornate mosaic of Mary. The icons on the sanctuary doors are the Four Evangelists. Who were they? Hint: You may know them better as authors of four books in the New Testament. 3. In the Hall of American Saints, you will see statues of six Americans. Name them.
4. There is a sculpture in relief of St. Peter and the rest of the apostles on the main altar of the Crypt Church. What is St. Peter holding? Why is this a symbol for him? 5. There is a chapel right off of the Crypt Church called The Our Lady of Hostyn chapel. Confessions are heard here. The chapel was a gift of the Czech people who were saved from a Mongol invasion in 1241. Their prayers to Mary were answered when a violent storm erupted and the invading forces fled. Can you see anything in the statue of Mary and Jesus that symbolizes this event? 6. In the Crypt Church there is a chapel called Our Lady of Hope. It was built through the donations of a famous entertainer and his wife. Who is the famous entertainer that made the donation to build this chapel? Hint: He was known for his buddy movies with Bing Crosby. Also, the name of the chapel is a clue. 7. The Our Mother of Africa chapel has an interesting ceiling. What does it look like? Why do you think this design was chosen? 8. The altar in the crypt church is made of onyx. In the 1920 s, women who were named Mary or who felt a kinship to the name Mary were asked to donate a dollar to help build the altar. Thirty thousand women responded. The scallop that tops each niche where these figures are represents pilgrimage. There are 14 figures of the New Testament carved out of the altar. One is Jesus. Can you guess who the other 13 are? 9. In the Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel, the sancturary is designed to be a replica of the grotto at Lourdes where the apparition of Mary appeared. Lourdes is in France. In the grotto scene there is a stone that was taken from the prison cell of a famous female French saint, who, like Mary, was asked by God to do great things for Him at a young age. Can you guess who this was?
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Faith Quest Answers UPPER CHURCH 1. Bl. John Paul II and Bl. Teresa of Calcutta 2. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Sirach, Sarah 3. Pentecost 4. Any one of the following: Joyful Mysteries (West Apse) The Annunciation The burning bush (Ex 3:1-4) The Visitation The Ark of the Covenant in the house of Obededon (2 Sam 6:9-11) The Nativity Isaiah prophesying before King Achaz (Is 7:12-14) The Presentation Anna presents Samuel in the Temple (1 Sam 1:24-28) Finding in the Temple Daniel, as a young boy, admonishing older men (Dan 13:45-65) Glorious Mysteries (North Apse) The Resurrection Joseph being taken from the dry well (Gen 37:28) The Ascension into Heaven Elias taken to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11) Descent of the Holy Spirit God giving Moses 10 Commandments on Mt. Sinai (Ex 19,20:1-17) Assumption of Mary Ark of the Covenant being taken into the Temple (Ps 132:8) Crowning of Mary King Solomon crowning his mother, Queen Bethsaba (1 Kings 2:19) Sorrowful Mysteries (East Apse) Agony in the Garden Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden (Gen 3:23-24) Scourging at the Pillar Jeremiah being beaten (Jer 27:13-20) Crowning with Thorns King Joachim being held prisoner (2 Kings 24:12-13) Carrying the Cross Isaac carrying wood for his alleged sacrifice (Gen 22:6-9) Crucifixion Passover lamb being sacrificed (Ex 12:1-6) 5. Ark of the Covenant
6. Tree of Jesse. It represents the lineage of Jesus. 7. Joan of Arc patroness of soldiers and of France Kateri Tekakwitha a young Mohawk woman who lived in the 17th century Thomas More patron saint of lawyers, martyr for religious freedom Margaret of Scotland a virtuous 11th-century queen Peter Julian Eymard French priest and founder of two religious institutes Ephraem hermit, deacon, poet, and Doctor of the Church Cyril of Jerusalem Bishop of Jerusalem and Doctor of the Church, born c. 315 Charles Lwanga a catechist in Uganda martyred for his faith in 1886 Monica a 4th-century Christian and mother of St. Augustine of Hippo Maria Goretti Italian virgin-martyr who died in 1902, forgiving her attacker Columba Kim Korean virgin-martyr who died in 1839 (Of course, there is much more you might already know about the lives of these saints or perhaps you ll be inspired to learn more about them!) 8. Lazarus Jesus raised him from the dead (John 11:1-44) Mary Magdalene a follower of Jesus and one of the women who found the empty tomb (John 20:1-18) Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry his cross (Mt. 27:32) Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus (Mark 15:42-47) CRYPT LEVEL 1. Bishop Shahan, Irish, St. Patrick 2. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 3. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Frances Xavier Cabrini, Kateri Tekakwitha, Rose Philippine Duchesne, Katherine Drexel, and Teresa of Calcutta (an honorary U.S. citizen by an Act of Congress). 4. A key. Jesus told Peter that he gave him the keys to the kingdom. 5. Mary and Jesus are shown atop rain clouds, and Jesus is holding a bolt of lightning. 6. Bob Hope 7. It looks like the hull of a sailing vessel. It symbolizes the slave ships that brought slaves to America. 8. The 12 apostles and Paul 9. St. Joan of Arc