Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, prefect of the dicastery for the laity, family and life, was appointed by Pope Francis on October 7 as his “special envoy” to the inauguration of the cupola dedicated to the Holy Trinity in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, National Sanctuary of the United States.
The Trinity Dome is scheduled to be unveiled and dedicated on December 8, 2017, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the patronal feast day of the United States and the National Shrine.
Pope Francis visited the Basilica on September 23, 2015, during his pilgrimage to the United States.
Nearly a century in the making, the National Shrine has been a work in progress since the placing of its foundation stone in 1920.
The Trinity Dome will be one of the largest mosaic installations of its kind in the world. Fabricated by hand by artisans in Italy, the dome mosaic will be composed of more than 14 million tesserae (pieces of Venetian glass) and will feature representations of the Most Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, the Patroness of the United States; and a procession of Angels and Saints. The Nicene Creed will encircle the dome’s base while its four pendentives will depict the Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
