What to watch for at Pope Francis's canonization Mass
Pope Francis will be the third pope to visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception when he celebrates a canonization Mass for Franciscan missionary Junípero Serra on Wednesday. Here are some things to watch for. Complete Pope Francis coverage here.
Who was Junípero Serra?
Serra was a Franciscan missionary from Spain who founded nine missions in California and helped spread Catholicism in the American West in the late 1700s.
The choice is controversial. Serra’s official church biography acknowledges that while he fought for his Native American converts, he also viewed them paternalistically and practiced physical punishment. Canonization puts Serra on the church’s list of saints; according to church doctrine, only God can actually make him a saint.
The stained-glass window, shown below, is located in the Upper Sacristy where the pope will vest.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL
UPPER SACRISTY
THE GREAT DOME
NORTH
ENTRANCE
The National Shrine’s decades-long construction was finished in 1959. The church is one of the world’s 10 largest and probably one of the most distinctive- looking, a combi- nation of Romanesque and Byzantine archi- tecture. John Paul II was the first pope to visit, in 1979; Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2008.
When the pontiff arrives
Upon his arrival, Pope Francis will circulate among the crowd before entering. About 2,300 seminarians and novices will be seated inside the upper church. Francis will then go to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and Upper Sacristy.
Blessed Sacrament Chapel
In every church Pope Francis visits, he makes a point of praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI also prayed at this chapel during their visits to the Basilica.
Upper Sacristy
Pope Francis will vest (dress) in the Upper Sacristy to prepare for Mass. Sacred items and vestments are stored here beneath an elaborate ceiling fresco depicting Jesus and his apostles.
Celebrating the Mass
Mass is a worship service that culminates in the celebration of Holy Communion.
Communion, also called the Eucharist, remembers Jesus’s Last Supper. Catholics receive the consecrated bread and wine as communion with the body and blood of Jesus Christ. During this Mass, Pope Francis will canonize a Spanish missionary, declaring that he should be venerated by the whole church.
The pope will celebrate Mass at approximately 4:15 p.m. on a stage built at the East Portico, which faces the grounds where guests will be seated and standing.
EAST PORTICO
ALTAR
PULPIT
Twenty-five thousand tickets were issued — 15,000 for seats and 10,000 for standing.
Symbols of the Eucharist
on the altar
5
6
1
2
7
4
3
1. The chalice that holds wine is one
of the most important sacred vessels.
2. Ciboria contain the bread, known
as the host, that will be distributed
at Holy Communion.
3. A paten contains the large host.
4. A square piece of linen called a corporal serves as a place mat.
5. A pall, usually a card covered in linen, protects the wine.
6. The purifactor is a linen napkin used for wiping excess wine from the chalice.
7. The pope will swing a metal thurible (or censer) containing incense, a symbol of prayers rising to heaven.
Liturgical garb
The pope will arrive wearing his regular
attire.
Popes have worn white since the
1500s, when Pope Pius V was elected and
continued to wear his white Dominican habit.
Zucchetto: The pope, cardinals and bishops wear skullcaps.
Sash
Simar: Looks like a regular cassock (full- length garment) with sash and a short shoulder cape.
Pectoral cross: A friend gave Pope Francis this sterling silver cross when he became bishop of Buenos Aires.
Fisherman’s Ring
: Indicates
the wearer is a successor
to Saint Peter, a fisherman.
Francis chose a design
rejected by Pope Paul VI
that includes keys that symbolize the pope’s
authority. Traditionally the ring is made of solid
gold, but Francis’s is gold-plated sterling silver.
Francis will change into vestments to celebrate Mass. Among them:
The pastoral staff always has a knob and a cross or crucifix mounted on it.
Mitre: Worn by bishops (the pope is the bishop of Rome) during some parts of Mass.
Pallium: A wool band embroidered with six red crosses.
Alb: Tunic under the chasuble worn by the clergy during Mass.
Chasuble: Color of the outermost layer varies according to the time in the liturgical calendar and the occasion.
Shoes: Francis wears his longtime favorite black shoes, a marked contrast to Benedict XVI’s distinctive red ones.
To figure out who’s who, look for
these colors and clothing worn by
church officials and Mass participants:
Scarlet
Cardinals are senior officials who have been elevated to their positions by a pope.
Roman purple
Bishops and archbishops oversee collections of local parishes called diocese and archdiocese. Nearly all cardinals are former bishops.
Black
Priests and seminarians.
Four masters of ceremonies, all monsignors, will be wearing fuschia cassocks and white surplices. They will be at the altar with the pope.
Two deacons who assist the pope will wear square tunics called dalmatics.
Other deacons and priests who help distribute Communion will wear long white tunics called albs with stoles across their chests.
Who was Junípero Serra?
Serra was a Franciscan missionary from Spain who founded nine missions in California and helped spread Catholicism in the American West in the late 1700s.
The choice is controversial. Serra’s official church biography acknowledges that while he fought for his Native American converts, he also viewed them paternalistically and practiced physical punishment. Canonization puts Serra on the church’s list of saints; according to church doctrine, only God can actually make him a saint.
The stained-glass window, shown below, is located in the Upper Sacristy where the pope will vest.
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
The National Shrine’s decades-long construction was finished in 1959. The church is one of the world’s 10 largest and probably one of the most distinctive- looking, a combination of Romanesque and Byzantine architecture. John Paul II was the first pope to visit, in 1979; Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2008.
THE KNIGHTS’ TOWER
BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL
CARILLON
THE GREAT DOME
ENTRANCE
STAGE
UPPER SACRISTY
Stained-glass windows depict U.S. Catholic pioneers, including Junípero Serra (on the north wall).
Upon his arrival, Pope Francis will circulate among the crowd before entering. About 2,300 seminarians and novices will be seated inside the upper church.
Blessed Sacrament Chapel
In every church Pope Francis visits, he makes a point of praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI also prayed at this chapel during their visits to the Basilica.
Upper Sacristy
Pope Francis will vest (dress) in the Upper Sacristy to prepare for Mass. Sacred items and vestments are stored here beneath an elaborate ceiling fresco depicting Jesus and his apostles.
Celebrating the Mass
Mass is a worship service that culminates in the celebration of Holy Communion.
Communion, also called the Eucharist, remembers Jesus’s Last Supper. Catholics receive the consecrated bread and wine as communion with the body and blood of Jesus Christ. During this Mass, Pope Francis will canonize a Spanish missionary, declaring that he should be venerated by the whole church.
The pope will celebrate Mass at approximately 4:15 p.m. on a stage built at the East Portico, which faces the grounds where guests will be seated and standing.
Twenty-five thousand tickets were issued — 15,000 for seats and 10,000 for standing.
EAST PORTICO
ALTAR
PULPIT
Symbols of the Eucharist on the altar
A paten contains the large host.
The pope will swing a metal thurible (or censer) containing incense, a symbol of prayers rising to heaven.
A pall, usually a card covered in linen, protects the wine.
The purifactor
is a linen napkin used for wiping excess wine
from the chalice.
A square piece of linen called a corporal serves as a place mat.
The chalice that holds wine is one of the most important sacred vessels.
Ciboria contain the bread, known as the host, that will be distributed at Holy Communion.
Liturgical garb
Francis will change into vestments to celebrate Mass. Among them:
The pastoral staff always has a knob and a cross or crucifix mounted on it.
Mitre
: Worn by bishops
(the pope is the bishop of Rome) during some parts of Mass.
Pallium
: A wool band
embroidered with six red crosses.
Alb
: Tunic worn
by clergy during Mass.
Shoes
: Francis wears his
Chasuble
: Color of the outermost layer
varies according to the time in the liturgical
longtime favorite black shoes,
calendar and the occasion. It can be white,
a marked contrast to Benedict
gold, red, green, purple or pink.
XVI’s distinctive red ones.
: The pope, cardinals
Zucchetto
The pope will arrive wearing his
and bishops wear skullcaps
regular attire.
Popes have worn white
called zucchetto, which is Italian
since the 1500s, when Pope Pius V was elected and continued to wear his white Dominican habit.
for “little gourd.” A 400-year-old
tradition allows a person to
exchange a white zucchetto
with the pope — during private
meetings only.
Simar
: Looks like a
regular cassock (full-
Ring
length garment) with
sash and a short
shoulder cape.
Pectoral cross:
A friend gave Pope Francis this sterling silver cross when he became bishop of Buenos Aires.
Sash
Fisherman’s Ring
: Indicates the wearer is a successor to Saint Peter,
a fisherman. Francis chose a design rejected by Pope Paul VI that
includes keys that symbolize the pope’s authority. Traditionally the
ring is made of solid gold, but Francis’s is gold-plated sterling silver.
To figure out who’s who, look for these colors and clothing
worn by church officials and Mass participants:
Scarlet
Cardinals are senior officials who have been elevated to their positions by
a pope.
Black
Priests and seminarians.
Roman purple
Bishops and archbishops oversee collections of local parishes called diocese and archdiocese. Nearly all cardinals are former bishops.
Four masters of ceremonies, all monsignors, will be wearing fuschia cassocks and white surplices. They will be at the altar with the pope.
Two deacons who assist the pope will wear square tunics called dalmatics.
Other deacons and priests who help distribute Communion will wear long white tunics called albs with stoles across their chests.
Who was Junípero Serra?
Serra was a Franciscan missionary from Spain who founded nine missions in California and helped spread Catholicism in the American West in the late 1700s.
The choice is controversial. Serra’s official church biography acknowledges that while he fought for his Native American converts, he also viewed them paternalistically and practiced physical punishment. Canonization puts Serra on the church’s list of saints; according to church doctrine, only God can actually make him a saint.
The stained-glass window, shown below, is located in the Upper Sacristy where the pope will vest.
The National Shrine’s decades-long construction was finished in 1959. The church is one of the world’s 10 largest and probably one of the most distinctive-looking, a combination of Romanesque and Byzantine architecture. John Paul II was the first pope to visit, in 1979; Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2008.
THE KNIGHTS’ TOWER
CARILLON
THE GREAT DOME
BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL
Upon his arrival, Pope Francis will circulate among the crowd before entering. About 2,300 seminarians and novices will be seated inside the upper church.
NORTH
ENTRANCE
UPPER SACRISTY
STAGE
Stained-glass
windows depict U.S.
Catholic pioneers,
including Junípero Serra
EAST PORTICO
(on the north wall).
Blessed Sacrament Chapel
Upper Sacristy
Pope Francis will vest (dress) in the Upper Sacristy to prepare for Mass. Sacred items and vestments are stored here beneath an elaborate ceiling fresco depicting Jesus and his apostles.
In every church Pope Francis visits, he makes a point of praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, consecrated bread stored in a tabernacle.
Celebrating the Mass
Symbols of the Eucharist
EAST PORTICO
Mass is a worship service that culminates in the celebration of Holy Communion.
5
6
Communion, also called the Eucharist, remembers Jesus’s Last Supper. Catholics receive the consecrated bread and wine as communion with the body and blood of Jesus Christ. During this Mass, Pope Francis will canonize a Spanish missionary, declaring that he should be venerated by the whole church.
The pope will celebrate Mass at approximately 4:15 p.m. on a stage built at the East Portico, which faces the grounds where guests will be seated and standing.
Twenty-five thousand tickets were issued — 15,000 for seats and 10,000 for standing.
1
2
7
4
3
1
. The chalice that holds wine is one
of the most important sacred vessels.
2
. Ciboria contain the bread, known
as the host, that will be distributed
at Holy Communion.
3
. A paten contains the large host.
4
. A square piece of linen called a
corporal serves as a place mat.
5
. A pall, usually a card covered
in linen, protects the wine.
6
. The purifactor is a linen
napkin used for wiping excess
wine from the chalice.
7
. The pope will swing a metal
ALTAR
thurible (or censer) containing
PULPIT
incense, a symbol of prayers
rising to heaven.
always has a knob
pastoral staff
The
and a cross or crucifix mounted on it.
Liturgical garb
Francis will change into vestments to celebrate Mass. Among them:
The pope will arrive
wearing his regular
: The pope, cardinals
Zucchetto
attire.
Popes have worn
and bishops wear skullcaps
white since the 1500s,
called zucchetto, which is Italian
when Pope Pius V was
Mitre
: Worn by bishops
for “little gourd.” A 400-year-old
elected and continued
(the pope is the bishop of Rome) during some parts of Mass.
tradition allows a person to
to wear his white
exchange a white zucchetto
Dominican habit.
with the pope — during private
Pallium
: A wool band
meetings only.
embroidered with six red crosses.
Simar
: Looks like a
Ring
regular cassock (full-
length garment) with
sash and a short
shoulder cape.
Pectoral cross:
A friend gave Pope Francis this sterling silver cross when he became bishop of Buenos Aires.
Alb
: Tunic
worn by clergy during Mass.
Sash
Fisherman’s Ring
Chasuble
Shoes
: Indicates the wearer is a successor to Saint Peter,
: Color of the outermost layer
: Francis wears his
a fisherman. Francis chose a design rejected by Pope Paul VI that
varies according to the time in the
longtime favorite black shoes,
includes keys that symbolize the pope’s authority. Traditionally the
liturgical calendar and the occasion. It can
a marked contrast to Benedict
ring is made of solid gold, but Francis’s is gold-plated sterling silver.
be white, gold, red, green, purple or pink.
XVI’s distinctive red ones.
To figure out who’s who, look for these colors and clothing worn by church officials and Mass participants:
Scarlet
Roman purple
Black
Four masters of ceremonies, all monsignors, will be wearing fuschia cassocks and white surplices. They will be at the altar with the pope.
Two deacons who assist the pope will wear square tunics called dalmatics.
Other deacons and priests who help distribute Communion will wear long white tunics called albs with stoles across their chests.
Priests and seminarians.
Cardinals are senior officials who have been elevated to their positions by
a pope.
Bishops and archbishops oversee collections of local parishes called diocese and archdiocese. Nearly all cardinals are former bishops.
SOURCE: Geraldine M. Rohling, archivist and curator at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; Catholic University; U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Archdiocese of Washington.