Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

...merging of Byzantine and Romanesque styles.[3] The change in design had a number of reasons, which the architect, Charles Maginnis, stated arose out of a desire for a “distinctively American” church that would allow for a blending of the architecture in Washington D.C.[4] Another practical reason was the contemporary building

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Thomas Nast Anti-Irish Cartoons

Among the recently digitized images added to our online collection are a number of drawings by cartoonist Thomas Nast. In 1846 at the age of six, Nast immigrated with his mother to the United States and by age 15 he had begun drawing for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News.[1] He joined

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Marian Year

...e Armenian Catholic Church, and Thomas Cardinal Tien, exiled Archbishop of Beijing. The Congress also featured a parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway which had 25,000 participants. Halvey_K428_011 Halvey_K428_050 Halvey_K428_003 Halvey_K428_004 Halvey_K435_002 Halvey_K434_004   Local Pilgrimages In addition to large scale events, the Marian year also featured numerous small events

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Marian Year of 1954

...an Catholic Church, and Thomas Cardinal Tien Ken-sin, exiled Archbishop of Beijing. Halvey_K434_004 Halvey_K428_003 Halvey_K428_004 Halvey_K435_002   Decades later, Pope John Paul II would call for a Marian Year beginning June 7, 1987 (Pentecost Sunday) and ending August 15, 1988 (Feast of the Assumption). During a reflection at the Shrine

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