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CV NEWS FEED // At the conclusion of its Diocesan Golden Jubilee, the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, brought more than 3,000 pilgrims from each of its parishes to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
The October 5 pilgrimage marked the final celebration for the Diocese’s 50th anniversary, with a solemn Mass in the upper church offered by Arlington’s Bishop Michael Burbidge.
The day saw long lines of confessions and culminated with Eucharistic Adoration and a solemn procession with the Blessed Sacrament led by the Bishop. “Life here on earth is merely a pilgrimage, a journey, leading us to our ultimate goal — life with God forever in heaven,” Bishop Burbidge told pilgrims at the Basilica.
“Thus, we are invited not merely to focus on the things of this world that distract and disappoint us but to keep our eyes fixed above, on the things that truly matter, on heavenly things,” he added. “If we do, we will know the Lord’s peace both now and for eternity.”
Throughout the jubilee year and leading up to it, parishes throughout the Diocese of Arlington held various celebrations, including the 40 Hours Eucharistic Adoration.
The Diocese’s website chronicles that the devotion has been practiced from its beginning: “In the Diocese of Arlington, Forty Hours was widely celebrated following the establishment of the diocese in 1974 and has remained an important devotion in many parishes.”
To mark the Golden Jubilee, the Arlington Diocese produced a 30-minute documentary celebrating its history. The documentary highlights the tenures of Arlington’s four bishops and features both religious and lay faithful. On August 13, 1974, Pope St. Paul VI created the Diocese of Arlington, which is home to the esteemed Christendom College. A timeline of the Diocese’s history can be viewed here.
