Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Next weekend, parishes in the Archdiocese will be taking up a special, one-time collection to support efforts to complete work at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Your donations will support work on the Trinity Dome, which is the central and largest dome of the National Shrine.
The completion of the Trinity Dome, in preparation for the one hundredth anniversary of the placing of the foundation stone of the National Shrine in 2020, is a monumental undertaking. The mosaic that will adorn the dome will depict the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a procession of saints, all of whom have an association with the United States and the National Shrine.
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the patronal church of our nation, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception. This great Marian shrine exists today because of the generosity of American Catholics and clergy, the prayers of the faithful, and the hard work of the artisans and laborers who began building it nearly one hundred years ago.
Mary’s Shrine, also known as America’s Catholic Church, is an authentic reflection of the diversity of the cultures and ethnicities of the United States and the unity and universality of the Catholic Church as evidenced in the more than 80 chapels and oratories dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. The Basilica is serves as a place of worship, pilgrimage, evangelization, and reconciliation.
The national collection for the Trinity Dome offers you an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy by honoring your American Catholic heritage, and I encourage your donation to this special effort. For more information about the Basilica and the Trinity Dome, go to https://www.trinitydome.org/.
Sincerely yours in our Lord,
Most Reverend
Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D.
Archbishop of Louisville
