What began as a joyful collaboration among three Philadelphia-area shrines at the beginning of this Jubilee Year reached a beautiful culmination with a celebration on Friday, November 21, 2025, at the third and final pilgrimage stop: The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, where pilgrims gathered to pray the November tradition of the Miraculous Medal Solemn Novena.
Pilgrims from The National Shrine of St. John Neumann and The National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia arrived by bus, many wearing their Pilgrim’s Passports and lanyards. They came with open hearts to pray together on a crisp November day, completing their three-shrine journey in response to Pope Francis’ call to make a pilgrimage during this Jubilee Year.
In June, members of the Basilica Shrine community traveled by bus to St. John Neumann’s Shrine to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi. The community gathered again in August for a second pilgrimage, this time in honor of the Solemnity of St. Monica at Saint Rita of Cascia’s shrine.
The November celebration at the Basilica Shrine coincided with the month of the Solemnity of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and the Feast of St. Catherine Labouré. November is always a bustling time of year at the Basilica Shrine with the long-standing tradition of the Solemn Novena.
Three Shrines Create the Pilgrim’s Passport
To encourage Pilgrims of Hope during this Holy Year, the three shrines collaborated to create the Pilgrim’s Passport program. Adult visitors received a passport and lanyard at their first stop and received stamps at each subsequent shrine. Younger visitors collected different colored rosary bands from each shrine. Pilgrims could begin their journey at any of the three locations.
While organized bus trips helped members of the Basilica Shrine community complete their Pilgrim’s Passport visits conveniently, all visitors are welcome to make their own pilgrimages at their own pace throughout the remainder of this Jubilee Year.
Sharing the Solemn Novena Tradition
This Holy Year marked a new beginning with the delightful collaboration that brought together visitors of each shrine and fostered a community of faith and fellowship. New connections formed as pilgrims experienced the unity of prayer and devotion together.
Mary Jo Timlin-Hoag, CEO of the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal, said, “The Solemn Novena is our anchor at the Basilica Shrine because it leads up to our celebration of the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. On Friday, we had a wonderful opportunity to share this tradition with a larger faith community. It is important that we continue to honor this tradition for years to come, so it was wonderful to introduce the Solemn Novena to members of the St. John Neumann Shrine and Saint Rita of Cascia Shrine communities through the Pilgrim’s Passport program.”
While the Pilgrim’s Passport collaboration is winding down with the end of the Jubilee Year, the three shrines look forward to continuing collaborations moving into 2026.