Photographing all 193 cathedrals and 93 basilicas in the United States seems like a daunting project for anyone. But 10 years ago, Andrew Masi decided to visit and photograph each of those Catholic churches, from east to west, from north to south.
On Sunday, July 21, Masi returned to the Cathedral-Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey, where his idea took firm hold. She considered this visit a “homecoming” to the place where she decided to begin this quest as a “spiritual pilgrimage to visit and photograph all the Catholic cathedrals and basilicas in the United States,” he told the National Catholic Register. “I just celebrated my 10th anniversary last April.”
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Masi’s idea began when he was at the Newark Basilica on Easter Sunday 2014. While waiting for Mass to begin, he was “looking around the majestic cathedral and taking in everything from the architecture to the great Stations of the Cross. life-size, the beautiful stained glass windows and the magnificent pipe organ,” he recalled.
I kept thinking and wondering “if all the cathedrals in the United States look as beautiful, big and amazing as this one. That’s when I got the idea to see for myself and photograph them.”
That little seed sprouted on many trips: to date, he has visited and photographed 104 cathedrals and 59 basilicas in 37 states of the country.
Because Masi, 37, always had “a love for travel and photography,” he said, “what better way to combine my two big interests and go to all these beautiful states in the United States to see the nation for myself.” same”.
Spread the trips throughout the year. Masi flies to her destination, rents a car and drives to each of those churches, grouping the ones that are closest. For example, for his next trip over Labor Day weekend – which in the United States is celebrated on the first Monday in September – he will fly to Denver to visit the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, stating that he is “really looking forward to see that beautiful cathedral.” On that trip, he also plans to visit St. Mary of Colorado Cathedral in Colorado Springs, Colorado; the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pueblo, Colorado; and then heads to Wyoming, making a stop at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Cheyenne.
For an upcoming trip, he plans a visit to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City, just in time for its centennial in October.
Sharing highlights
In this historic year, Masi is grateful for past travels. He started with one special to him: the Cathedral-Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, which has been visited by Saint John Paul II and Pope Francis. “Not only is that church historic and large, but it is very beautiful inside. Once you enter the main body of the church, it is like looking inside one of Rome’s basilicas. It feels like you are there in Rome “It’s more than incredible.”
Another highlight is the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis, also visited by John Paul II. “I can’t even describe it,” Masi said. “It’s amazing, just super amazing. “They have the largest collection of mosaics in the world.” The mosaics that fill the cathedral form the largest installation in the Western Hemisphere. “Can you imagine how many hours of work and pieces had to be put together to build that cathedral? I can’t even begin to count. And it was built years before advanced technology came out, when everything was done manually.”
Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis.
Also among his favorites is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. The images of the Via Crucis “look like paintings. “It’s like looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting,” she said. “When you look at the seasons, they draw you in and you become immersed in them.”
Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.
Another important point is the stations of St. Augustine Cathedral in his home diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
St. Augustine Cathedral, Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Stories in glass
The Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky, has two of the largest rose windows in the United States. “When I went to visit (it) in 2018, I took a photo of that rose window and the sun was illuminating it. “I remember it was designed to be similar to Notre-Dame in Paris.” The cathedral also has a majestic 20 by 7.3 meter transept window.
Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky.
Joy for many
Masi’s efforts have brought much joy to those who view the 18,229 photos he has posted to date on his Flickr site.
“People have told me, ‘I can’t go to these places because I don’t have the time or the money,’ or ‘I’m too old to do it,’ or ‘I have health problems.’ But I’m going to do a virtual tour. It’s like a self-guided tour, which takes me step by step to the cathedral or the basilica.’”
Father Bismarck Chau, rector of the Cathedral-Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, described the building as “an amazing structure in detail, and it really makes you feel God,” adding that he is sure Masi “experienced that in his heart, and that is what brought him closer to God.”
St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Father Chau continued: “You have begun a new journey, and your journey is truly impacting other people’s lives, no matter what degree. He has brought the beauty of our Catholic Church in the United States to many people. “I think that’s something to admire.”
“I think it’s really showing a representation of the universality of the Church,” Father Chau explained. “That’s the way I’ve been taking it. When I look at their photos, it’s like, wow, how different we are in expressing our faith in different cities, but still it’s one faith. If you look at the photos, you will see Mary, you will see the Crucifix, you will see the altar. That’s what unites us. So it is beautiful to see the different church structures to worship our God.”
Also, but not easy to tell, the ways in which people can be inspired by their faith or even seek the Catholic faith.
“God himself is beauty, and he attracts us in some way,” Father Chau said. “Being a priest, I guess I could be looking at these paintings from a different point of view, looking for that beauty and looking at the complexity of the paint designs and the carving of the marble and the stones, and that, to me, is beautiful.”
Masi hopes the photo diary will encourage people to deepen their faith.
He thoughtfully responded, “If I could inspire one person or make a difference in someone’s life through the images in my story, I would consider it a blessing from God.”
Masi’s works can be viewed for free on Flickr. Her works are also on Facebook and Instagram, and a YouTube channel is currently in the works.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in National Catholic Register.
Joseph Pronechen
Joseph Pronechen has been a staff writer for the National Catholic Register since 2005. He is the author of Fruits of Fatima: A Century of Signs and Wonders. He has a graduate degree and previously taught English and film study courses that he developed at a Catholic high school in Connecticut.