Franciscan Monastery showcases Holy Land in D.C.

WASHINGTON On a Christian pilgrimage with her church group, Kristin Toorop looks up to Calvary, and her eyes open wide.

She listens as tour guide Gloria Harrington tells the story of where Christ was crucified, with Mary Magdalene kneeling at his feet.

"I'm sure you recognize the scene of Jesus on the cross, between two thieves," Harrington says, before leading the group to take a closer look. "Let's go up to Calvary."

But this is not the sacred Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the site where Christian tradition says Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Rather, it's a reproduction of Calvary, hidden in a leafy neighborhood in Washington.

For nearly 112 years, Mount St. Sepulchre in D.C. has been home to a Franciscan monastery and its Memorial Church of the Holy Sepulcher - complete with reproductions of Jesus' tomb and other holy sites. About 25,000 people visit each year to see its shrines representing the holiest places in Christianity.

Last month, the Franciscan Order celebrated a remarkable moment - its 800th anniversary. The order was founded by St. Francis of Assisi, who traveled to Rome in 1209 to ask the pope's approval.

"They wanted to live the Gospel as literally as they could," said the Rev. Jeremy Harrington, who heads the Washington monastery. That includes a simple life, serving others, with no real worldly possessions of their own.

Hundreds of friars have passed through the D.C. monastery over time, often in preparation to serve in the Holy Land where Franciscans serve as the Catholic Church's chief custodians of the holiest sites. It's also the place where Good Friday collections from all U.S. Catholic churches are sent before the Vatican distributes the money to support the Franciscans' work.

In the Holy Land, they try to foster peace and reconciliation among Muslims, Jews and other groups, Harrington said. They also strive to make the Gospel accessible to people in the tradition of St. Francis.

Harrington, 77, dressed in the friar's traditional brown robe, serves as guardian and commissary of the monastery. He's one of 20 who live there full-time, celebrating Mass twice daily and meeting together for morning and evening prayer. Other priests stay for shorter periods while studying at nearby Catholic University of America.

"We are the supply line for the friars in the Holy Land," Harrington said. "We recruit men to become Franciscans and go to serve there. We support them emotionally, spiritually and financially."

Their church is filled with intricate works of art and the unique to-scale reproductions of various sites.

The site dates to 1897, when the Rev. Godfrey Schilling purchased an old farm estate to build the monastery and church. He had returned from serving in the Holy Land and wanted to offer Americans a glimpse of those sites that many would never see in person.

Architect Aristide Leonori was hired to design the building, which was made in the shape of a Crusader Cross of Jerusalem. It incorporates the Byzantine style with Italian Romanesque elements.

Leonori also visited the Holy Land to take measurements and photographs of sites that were to be reproduced inside the church. Several artists created the colorful paintings, mosaics, stained glass and statues that adorn the altars and walls.

There are also reproductions of the catacombs in Rome with altars holding the real remains of St. Benignus, a second-century martyr put to death by the Roman emperor, and the body of St. Innocent, a child martyr, to show the persecution of early Christians.

Outside, the monastery's expansive gardens are filled with colorful roses and more reproductions depicting the garden of Gethsemane, the tomb of the Virgin Mary, the Portiuncula Chapel that St. Francis restored and other sites.

The monastery is contemplating an expansion that could include private, solitary retreats on the wooded areas of its grounds to offer a place for prayer and reflection.

"That's our life," Harrington said, "to be people of peace."