Hello!
Our family has gotten to travel quite a bit, which has been such a gift, and God has blessed me with getting to go to some amazing Catholic Churches and Shrines over the years.
Of course, every Catholic Church is amazing, and each one holds Jesus! And there are so many more churches that I’ve visited that are so beautiful as well! But these are just some of the churches and Shrines that stood out to me.
The Basilica and National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians aka Holy Hill
This one is special to us, it’s located in Hubertus WI, on top of a big hill, and the views are amazing! The Basilica is gorgeous, and there’s a pretty St. Therese Chapel and a lot of other beautiful places and things. The Discalced Carmelite Friars of Holy Hill live there, and Holy Hill is filled with a lot of Carmelite influence.
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
We got to visit this shrine last fall, it’s in Lacrosse, WI, and it’s such a neat place! The church is so beautiful, the property that it’s on is so cool and it’s got a lot of beautiful devotional sites too.
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion
This one is so special, and it’s such a blessing to have close to us. It’s located in Champion, WI, and it’s the first and currently the only National Shrine in the U.S. with an approved Marian Apparition.
Basilica of St. Francis Xavier
This is a beautiful basilica that we got to visit with our friends, Sue and Jenna this year! It’s located in Dyersville, Iowa, and I remember how the inside was so packed of amazing art and architecture!
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
We got to visit this church, and attend a daily Mass there, when we were on our family trip to St. Louis a couple of years ago. It’s humongous!
Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
This church is in Montreal Canada! I’ve gotten to go to Montreal twice, and I think we went to this church both times we went. It is so stunning! The second time it was just my Dad and I, and we got to attend Mass there, which was either fully or mostly in French!
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
This church is in Washington DC, and it’s the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America and one of the ten largest churches in the world. It is considered America’s Catholic Church. I think we got to go to Mass here, I have some memories of it although I don’t remember a ton. I also visited it when I was younger as well.
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows
This shrine is located in Belleville, IL. It’s the largest outdoor Marian Shrine in the United States, and got some really cool things around the property!
Holy Name of Jesus Church
This definitely holds a special place in our hearts, it’s our home parish. It’s a beautiful church with a huge high altar in the back. It also has a lot of relics which is really cool!
Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
This church is in Anchorage, Alaska! We got to attend Mass here twice on our trip to Alaska.
St. Francis Xavier Cathedral
This is the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Green Bay. It is a very beautiful church, and I liked the stained glass windows and the mural on the back of the sanctuary.
Carmelite Monastery of the Holy Name of Jesus
This is a beautiful place near us, a Carmelite monastery, where Carmelite nuns live. They have a part of the chapel that the public can come into, and then around the corner is where the nuns sit. I’ve gotten to go to a daily Mass here once!
Misión San José del Cabo
We got to go to this church while on a trip to Mexico! It’s located in San José del Cabo. I think we went to Sunday Mass here and it was fully or mostly in Spanish!
One thing that many of my favorite churches have in common is…
An ornate, reverent, traditional feeling.
One element of many churches I’m not a fan of is…
This is kind of random, but carpet. I feel like even if the church is fairly reverent feeling in other ways, and has cool statues and artwork and stuff which add to the feeling, carpet makes it feel less traditional, ornate and reverent, which I don’t like as much.
One church I’d love to visit is…
St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome!
Thanks for reading!
Lucy