Šiluva Chapel Exhibit Opens in Washington

On June 30 the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., hosted a reception to celebrate the opening of an exhibit in anticipation of the golden jubilee of the Chapel of Our Lady of Šiluva. The reception was organized by the Šiluva Chapel in Washington 50 Year Jubilee Committee and the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington.

Among the guests were a number of Lithuanian dignitaries who were visiting the U.S. on official business, including the Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Loreta Graužinienė, Foreign Affairs Minister Linas Linkevičius, and Minister of Culture Šarūnas Birutis. The guest list also included the General Consul of the United Kingdom David Hunt, representatives of the embassies of the European Union and Slovakia, a contingent from the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See (Vatican Embassy), former U.S. Congressman Bill Sarpalius, and the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference Delegate for the Lithuanian Catholic Apostolate Abroad, Msgr. Edmundas Putrimas.

After the invocation by Bishop Barry Knestout, the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Archdiocese of Washington, the Šiluva chapel jubilee committee chairman Victor Nakas thanked the Rector of the Basilica, Msgr. Walter Rossi, and his staff for their support and cooperation. The Basilica’s Director of Pilgrimages, Msgr. Vito Buonanno, welcomed everyone on behalf of the rector.

Lithuanian Ambassador to the U.S. Rolandas Kriščiūnas invited the guests of honor to say a few words. Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Graužiniene pointed out the symbolic importance of the Šiluva chapel during the years of Soviet oppression in Lithuania as well as during the reestablishment of independence. She wished the jubilee committee every success in attaining its goals and shared her personal experience in having her prayers answered after recourse to Our Lady of Šiluva. Foreign Affairs Minister Linkevičius and Culture Minister Birutis noted the political and cultural significance of the chapel in uniting Lithuanians in their native country with those abroad.

Basilica Archivist and Curator Dr. Geraldine Rohling spoke with great insight about the artistic features of the Šiluva chapel. Referencing St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, she compared the National Shrine with its multiethnic chapels and oratories to the one Body of Christ with its many members.

The exhibit was organized by Jubilee Committee members Dr. Jurate Maciunas Landwehr and Msgr. Rolandas Makrickas, who works at the Vatican’s Apostolic Nunciature in Washington. Dr. Landwehr briefly described the history behind the building of the chapel and focused on the Lithuanian artists and sculptors who contributed to its design.

At the end of the official program the audience was delighted by a group of children representing the two Washington-area Lithuanian Saturday schools singing the hymn “O Mary, bless us,” led by music teacher Viktorija Zaboriene.

Guests were then invited to partake of refreshments and to tour the exhibit, which features Lithuanian religious and cultural artifacts loaned by the Lithuanian Embassy, the Baltimore Lithuanian Museum, and individual donors. Visitors to the exhibit can read about the Šiluva shrine in Lithuania and the history of the chapel in Washington.

The opening of the exhibit, which was attended by more than 100 guests, was filmed by journalists from LRT (Lithuanian Radio and Television). The exhibit will be on display until November 27. The Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving will take place Sunday, October 9, in the Great Upper Church. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception estimates that it receives approximately one million visitors every year.

Photo credit: Dana Rene Bowler