Saint John Paul II National Shrine
The Washington shrine keeps John Paul II close through a first-class relic, a daily life of worship, sacred art, and an exhibition that leads from biography toward vocation.
- Location
- Washington, D.C., United States
- 38.9377° N · 77.0049° W
- Type
- Roman Catholic national shrine and relic shrine
- Dedication
- Saint John Paul II
- Time Needed
- 90 minutes to half a day
A saint’s witness received in prayer
Come to venerate the relic of Saint John Paul II, celebrate the sacraments, and let the Church’s memory of his life become a summons to holiness rather than nostalgia for a public figure. The shrine stands on Harewood Road in Brookland, beside The Catholic University of America and a short walk from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, so a single morning can hold both.
From cultural center to national shrine
The building opened first as the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. The Knights of Columbus acquired it in 2011 and reshaped it as a shrine; after John Paul II’s canonization, the U.S. bishops designated it a national shrine in 2014. The site now unites relic veneration, liturgy, sacred art, formation, and hospitality. Its permanent exhibition, A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II, follows him from Wadowice and wartime Kraków through the pontificate.
Redemptor Hominis Church and the Luminous Mysteries Chapel were built around mosaic cycles by Marko Rupnik that set John Paul II’s Christ-centered and Marian spirituality inside the mysteries of salvation. The Knights of Columbus covered that work in July 2024, while the artist’s case stands before the Holy See, and it remains covered. Both chapels are open for prayer, and the first-class blood relic still rests at the altar of the Luminous Mysteries Chapel. Confirm what is on view before you travel.
The U.S. bishops designated the site a national shrine in 2014.
The shrine is operated by the Knights of Columbus.
Mass, confession, the Hour of Mercy, and Eucharistic adoration form its regular prayer life.
Spiritual Significance
The relic is not a collectible or an attraction. It is received in the Church as a bodily sign of communion with a saint whose life points beyond itself to Christ.
- The chapels as they stand now, with the mosaic cycles covered
- The relationship between relic veneration and the altar
- The shrine’s continuing rhythm of confession, Mass, and the Hour of Mercy
Do Not Miss
-
01
The reliquary of Saint John Paul II
Approach in prayer and leave room for others to venerate.
-
02
Redemptor Hominis Church
Pray at the altar; the mosaic walls around it are currently covered.
-
03
The exhibition
Let the objects and testimony illuminate a vocation rather than turn the saint into a celebrity.
Visit Plans
-
2 hours A first pilgrimage to the shrine.
Relic, altar, and witness
Begin with worship and the relic, then receive the exhibition as a call to Christian discipleship.
- Pray before the altar and venerate the first-class relic.
- Enter the Luminous Mysteries Chapel.
- Walk the exhibition without rushing its final vocational invitation.
How to Visit
Check the current worship and visitor schedule. Plan about two hours for Mass or confession, relic veneration, the church and chapel, and the exhibition.
Make worship the fixed point; the exhibition can fit around it.
The shrine is open every day, with different weekday and weekend visitor windows. Admission and parking are free; confirm current liturgy before travel.
- Address
- 3900 Harewood Road NE, Washington, DC 20017
- Time needed
- About two hours; longer if attending Mass and the full exhibition
- Admission
- Free; free on-site parking
Prayer and sacraments
Mass and confession are regularly offered, with different Sunday times.
- Use the shrine’s live worship page for the day of your visit.
Visitor access
The exhibition and gift shop normally follow the published visitor window.
- Weekday hours are shorter than weekend hours.
The shrine publishes accessible parking and building access.
- Ask staff if you need the most direct route to the church and exhibition.
Additional schedule notes
Hour of Mercy
The Hour of Mercy is normally observed daily at 3 p.m.; Monday participation is online only.
- Confirm holiday and special-event changes.
Relics, Tombs, Sacred Objects
Tomb and Burial
- Saint John Paul II is not buried here; his tomb is in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Relics and Sacred Tradition
- A first-class relic of Saint John Paul II’s blood is kept for veneration in an ornate reliquary.
- Relics within the altar of Redemptor Hominis Church include Saints Kateri Tekakwitha, Elizabeth Ann Seton, John Neumann, Junípero Serra, François de Laval, and José María Robles Hurtado.
Sacred Objects
- The reliquary of Saint John Paul II’s blood
- The altar of Redemptor Hominis Church
- The Luminous Mysteries Chapel
Connected Saints
- Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Relic within the altar A relic of Mother Seton is sealed within the altar; her principal shrine and tomb are in Emmitsburg.
- Saint John Paul II Patron and first-class relic A first-class relic of his blood is venerated here; his body is buried in Saint Peter’s Basilica.
- Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Relic within the altar A relic of Saint Kateri is sealed within the altar of Redemptor Hominis Church.
Continue Your Pilgrimage
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Basilica and national Marian shrine
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
About half a mile away; begin or close with the nation’s principal Marian basilica.
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Franciscan monastery and Holy Land mission
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America
A short Brookland ride to a living Franciscan mission and garden pilgrimage.
Map
The record distinguishes the first-class blood relic kept here from John Paul II’s bodily tomb in Rome. It also records that the Knights of Columbus covered the Rupnik mosaics in both chapels in July 2024 and that they remain covered, so the architecture note describes what a pilgrim actually sees.
September 4, 2026
Photo credits
- Hero. ajay_suresh, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC BY 4.0.
- Redemptor Hominis Church. Official White House photo by Andrea Hanks, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. Public domain.