By Jay Sorgi • Posted March 7, 2025

Catholics in the Philadelphia region are encouraged to encounter and experience three of the city’s major shrines through a special passport program marking Jubilee Year 2025 in the Catholic Church.

On Ash Wednesday, March 5, the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in East Germantown, the National Shrine of St. John Neumann in Northern Liberties, and the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia in Point Breeze began the Pilgrim’s Passport program, running until the end of the Jubilee Year during the Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6, 2026.

“Our shrines are ready to welcome everyone,” said Vincentian Father John Kettelberger, rector of the Miraculous Medal Shrine.

When someone comes to one of the three shrines, they can receive the passport with a stamp at each shrine’s gift shop. When all three stamps have been received, the visitor also can receive a pin with blessed medals that mark all three sacred shrines.

Children who participate in the passport will receive rosary bands at each shrine, as well as the same medals when they visit all three shrines.

The shrines hatched the idea of the Pilgrim’s Passport after Archbishop Nelson Pérez designated shrines in the archdiocese as sacred jubilee sites.

Shrine officials said that the project is meant to answer Pope Francis’ desire for Catholics to mark the Jubilee Year with a pilgrimage – something Philadelphia has in unusually large numbers for a major metropolitan area.

In addition to the three national shrines participating in the Pilgrim’s Passport program, other shrines in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia include the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel at Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne at St. Anne Church in Philadelphia, the St. Gianna Berretta Molla Shrine in Warminster, the St. Jude Shrine at St. Jude Parish in Chalfont and the Blessed Carlo Acutis Shrine Center for Eucharistic Adoration at Malvern Retreat House in Malvern.

“A pilgrimage is a journey to a religious site that is not your usual place of worship,” said Redemptorist Father John Kingsbury, director of the National Shrine of St. John Neumann.

Each shrine offers visitors a special experience. The Miraculous Medal Shrine, established nearly 100 years ago in 1927, focuses on Marian devotion and boasts a museum featuring more than 400 works of Marian art. Pope Francis named it a minor basilica in 2022.

The National Shrine of St. John Neumann includes the resting place for his remains inside a glass case in the church. It also includes a museum with a Native American catechism and relics St. John Neumann collected.

His tomb is one of two saints whose remains reside in the city,  the other being St. Katharine Drexel.

The National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia, whose construction was completed in 1915, includes both the upper sanctuary and the lower shrine that includes a relic of St. Rita, plus murals and sculptures that offer a snapshot of her life’s journey.

According to the shrine’s assistant director, Augustinian Father Robert Guessetto, during the jubilee year the shrine joins with the universal Church “to renew, once again, our commitment to journeying toward a deeper encounter with God. This is what being a pilgrim of hope means!”

The Pilgrim’s Passport program, he said, “provides the faithful in Philadelphia and from throughout the country the opportunity to not only discover the spiritualities of our local shrines and their namesakes in a new and creative way, but it also helps them take steps to move beyond the landscapes of their daily lives to embrace their faith in a deeper, more inspiring way.”

While it is easily possible to visit all three sites in a day, leaders at each church invite pilgrims to make their pilgrimage more than a tourist stop, and to experience each shrine at a prayerful pace to aid in their walk with God.

Pope Francis also says the pilgrim experience should be shared. The shrines encourage small groups to come on their own, but large groups should call ahead to each shrine to set up their visits.

“Each is a peaceful and restful place for prayer,” said Father Kettleberger. “It is best to go slowly and never be in a rush with a pilgrimage experience. We want you to visit all three sites at your own pace and experience the unique spirituality that each provides.”

“The journey itself is a prayer, and it reminds us that our life on earth is a journey to God and eternal life,” said Father Kingsbury.

Each shrine also is hosting celebrations throughout the year, and the three shrines encourage pilgrims to attend all of the following:

June 22: Feast of Corpus Christi at St. John Neumann Shrine

Aug. 28: Feast of St. Augustine at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine

Nov. 26: Solemnity of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at the Basilica Shrine

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The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is located at 500 East Chelten Avenue, Philadelphia. Hours are Sunday, 8:30-11:00 a.m.; Monday, 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.; Tuesday to Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to end of 12:05 p.m. Mass. The shrine’s art museum is open by appointment on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. The gift shop for the Pilgrim’s Passport is open Monday, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Tuesday to Thursday, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; and Friday, 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

The National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia is located at 1166 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. Hours are Sunday, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; Monday to Friday, 7:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; and Saturday, 7:45 a.m.-6:00 p.m. The gift shop is open Sunday, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; Monday to Friday, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; and Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

The National Shrine of St. John Neumann is located at 1019 North 5th Street, Philadelphia. Hours are Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and Monday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. The gift shop is open daily, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.