This chasuble was inlaid with a portion of a banner that was embroidered in 1909 - 1010 to commemorate the canonization of Joan of Arc. The chasuble is in celebration of the 100th anniversary of her canonization.
The Carmel Mission, located in Carmel, California. It's absolutely beautiful and one of my favorite places. Just thought I'd share. :) You can visit the Mission's website if you want to know its history.
I spent my Christmas back home with my folks in the Washington-Baltimore metro area. I went to a couple large (but technically Minor) Basilicas, and took pictures. This second set is from The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, on the campus of Catholic University in Washington DC. Started in 1920, the crypt church was completed in 1931. Due to WWII, the Upper Church wasn't completed until 1959. It's the largest Roman Catholic church in North America, containing 70 chapels and oratories, and houses the largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical art on earth. Byzantine-Romanesque in style, it holds six Masses and five hours of Confessions daily. These pictures show MAYBE 10% of everything there is to see in this gigantic Cathedral.
I spent my Christmas back home with my folks in the Washington-Baltimore metro area. I went to a couple large (but technically Minor) Basilicas, and took pictures. This first set is from The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Catholic cathedral built in the United States, and is currently Co-Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Sainte Jeanne d'Arc at 1247 meters altitude (I think the highest point in the Vosges, but I'm not positive). This statue was erected on the border between the Alsace and the Lorraine which became the German / French border at least twice in the last 200 years.
Not far away, the blessed Virgin overlooks the plain which on this day was one giant cup of fog / clouds.
On Saturday I went to the Portland (Oregon) Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Didn't spend much time outside at the festival, as it was noisy and crowded. Instead I stayed inside the cathedral, talking to the priests and deacons, and taking pictures.
On Sunday, I visited Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Gresham, Oregon, for their 10AM service. Capella Romana was performing their Divine Liturgy in Byzantine Chant. Though the parish itself is not new, the building was very new. Hardly any of the iconography was finished, though someday every square inch of wall will be covered in icons.
On Sunday afternoon, I went to a free Capella Romana concert at Saint Agatha Catholic Church in Portland, Oregon. Capella Romana is a Portland-based professional chamber choir that specializes in musical traditions of the Christian East and West, especially early Slavic and Byzantine repertories in their original languages. They were making recordings for a new CD, featuring songs from the Finnish Orthodox Church in the original Finnish.
Saint James Catholic Church in Vancouver, WA just finished a major renovation and exquisite_bones invited me to their re-dedication Mass on Sunday. Here are selected images of the newly-redone church.
