National shrine receives $1 million from Knights for new dome project

Published: 2006-12-14

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington has received a $1 million gift from the Knights of Columbus for the creation and installation of a mosaic depicting scenes associated with the Incarnation in the ceiling dome above the south nave of the shrine's upper church. The dome, the second part of a three-part project, will be known as the Knights of Columbus Incarnation Dome. Its 3,780-square-foot mosaic will include artistic renderings of the Annunciation, the Nativity, the wedding feast at Cana and the Transfiguration. The first part of the shrine's dome project was the Redemption Dome, located above the shrine's center aisle. It was dedicated Nov. 16. In a Dec. 12 statement Msgr. Walter R. Rossi, shrine rector, said the Knights' gift for the new dome was just the latest in the fraternal order's long association with the shrine. All of the Knights' donations illustrate their dedication "to this patronal church of the United States and their devotion to the mother of God," he said.

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