July pilgrimage to St. Louis includes ‘Vatican Splendors’ exhibit

The famous Gateway Arch, a National Park Service monument which is 630 feet tall, welcomes visitors to St. Louis. Windows enclose a small viewing area at the top of the popular tourist destination on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Named for King St. Louis IX of France, St. Louis is best known for being the Gateway City to the West. (File photo by Brandon A. Evans)

By Mary Ann Wyand

Archdiocesan pilgrims will have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view “Vatican Splendors—A Journey through Art and Faith,” representing 2,000 years of the Church’s art and history, on July 13 at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis.

Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general, will lead the July 12-14 pilgrimage to the Gateway City, which is named for King St. Louis IX of France, for the special Vatican exhibition.

Carolyn Noone, associate director of special events for the archdiocese, said the Missouri History Museum is one of only three U.S. locations chosen to host the “Vatican Splendors” exhibit, which includes works by master artists Bernini and Michelangelo as well as objects marking the most significant moments in the history of the Vatican.

The exhibit features one of the largest Vatican collections ever to tour North America.

“This pilgrimage is a very convenient way for those who will not be traveling abroad to see these magnificent collections from the Vatican, which were created by the greatest artists in the world,” Noone said. “The pilgrimage will be an enjoyable, faith-filled journey, and an opportunity to make new friends and see new places. We will say the rosary every day on the bus and celebrate Mass at beautiful churches.”

The pilgrims will depart from the Archbishop O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis at 9 a.m. on July 12 then stop at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for Mass followed by lunch at O’Shaughnessy Hall.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is the home of the national shrines of Our Lady of Providence and St. Theodora Guérin, Indiana’s first saint and the foundress of the Sisters of Providence.

After arriving in St. Louis, the pilgrims will enjoy dinner at the Market Street Buffet, a restaurant located on a boat on the Mississippi River.

On July 13, the pilgrims will tour the “Vatican Splendors” exhibition at the Missouri History Museum, which is located in scenic Forest Park.

Next, the pilgrims will visit the historic Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, located near Forest Park, to view its beautiful mosaic artwork.

The cathedral basilica was described by Pope Paul VI as an “outstanding cathedral of the Americas.”

The interior of the historic Romanesque church is decorated with 83,000 square feet of mosaic art, which was mostly done in the Byzantine tradition and installed over a period of 75 years. Ground was broken for the basilica in 1907, and it was consecrated in 1926.

Next, the pilgrims will enjoy lunch at Zia’s on the Hill, which is located in the historic Italian section of St. Louis.

That afternoon, the pilgrims will travel to Perryville, Mo., to visit the National Shrine of the Miraculous Medal, where they will celebrate Mass.

Dinner at the historic Bevo Mill restaurant concludes the second day of the pilgrimage.

Before returning to Indianapolis on July 14, the pilgrims will stop at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Ill., for Mass, a tour and lunch.

(The cost of the pilgrimage includes deluxe motor coach transportation and hotel accommodations as well as all meals and admission fees. Pilgrims may choose a single-occupancy hotel room for $489 per person, double-occupancy room for $389 per person or triple-occupancy room for $359 per person. For more information or to make reservations, contact Carolyn Noone at 317-236-1428 or 800-382-9836, ext. 1428, or www.archindy.org/pilgrimage or cnoone@archindy.org.) †