If anyone wishes to attend mass with me at 12:00PM....please let me know. You may attend one or both at your discretion. Remember $2 admission. Please confirm with Alicia if you will attend mass in your RSVP comments

CLICK HERE FOR BASILICA LINK

Saint Louis is one of the few cities in the world with two cathedral basilicas. (A basilica is a Roman Catholic church with special spiritual, historical or architectural significance that is granted specific ceremonial privileges by the pope.) At 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 31, we take a guided tour of the newer one, located on Lindell Boulevard in the Central West End.

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis is a masterpiece of architecture, art and history that rivals the world's grandest cathedrals. Artisans, craftsmen, stonecutters, and masons spent almost a century creating this incomparable church.

Highlights include:

•Ten scenes from the life of patron saint King Louis IX of France cover the vestibule walls.

•Mosaics in the historic bay and dome celebrate the history of the church in the St. Louis area.

•The Blessed Scarament Chapel include a collection of mosaics showing religious rites centered around the Blessed Sacrament.

•Our Lady's Chapel contains three triptychs depicting events in the life of the Virgin Mary.

•The Tiffany-designed Italian-style All Saints Chapel features three triptychs of saints, topped with half lunettes.

•The baldachinno, or canopy, over the altar mimics the cathedral's exterior dome and is supported by 14 columns of varied marble.

•Tiffany and Company created the cathedral's two dramatic rose windows, one red and the other blue.

•Statues of St. Louis, Saint Theresa of Lisieux, Sainte Anne and the Blessed Virgin as a child, Saint Vincent de Paul, the four Apostles, and the Kneeling Angels adorn the interior.

Pope John Paul II designated the cathedral as a Cathedral Basilica in 1997 and visited it in October 1999. The symbols of its special status—the tintinnabulum (bell) and the ombrellino (umbrella)—flank the High Altar.

The building's lower level is home to the Mosaic Museum, containing displays that show how mosaics are designed and applied. The museum also contains the original Kilgen organ console, the throne used during the pope's visit, and a collection of historic vestments and precious objects used in the various rites of the Church. There is also a crypt where the remains of Saint Louis’s Cardinals and Archbishops are interred. The needlepoint prie-dieux in the crypt was created by members of the parish for the use of Pope John Paul II during his 1999 visit to Saint Louis and the Cathedral Basilica.

The tour will last approximately one hour. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students, to be paid onsite before we begin the tour. Afterward, we will go to a nearby coffee house or restaurant for discussion.