Holy Rosary to celebrate 125 years of Scalabrini’s U.S. visit

For the Scalabrinian family, remembering the journey of our founder is also an invitation to renew the mission he entrusted to us: to walk alongside migrants with faith, closeness and hope. This October, Holy Rosary Church and Casa Italiana in Washington, D.C., will host two major gatherings marking the 125th anniversary of Saint John Baptist Scalabrini’s historic visit to the United States.

The commemorations will connect the memory of his 1901 journey with the lives of people on the move today. Through historical reflection, prayer and shared celebration, the parish community will honor a legacy that continues to inspire our service to migrants and refugees.

October 23: remembering a journey that shaped our mission

On Friday, October 23, a regional symposium at Casa Italiana will explore Scalabrini’s visit to the United States, his encounter at the White House and the lasting significance of his work on behalf of migrants. The symposium will also be livestreamed.

Scalabrinian leadership has entrusted Francesco Isgrò with organizing the symposium and related civic activities. The gathering will offer an opportunity to reflect on how the founder’s pastoral vision speaks to the challenges of migration in our own time.

October 25: one community, many languages

A multilingual Solemn Liturgy will be celebrated at Holy Rosary Church on Sunday, October 25, at 4 p.m., Washington time. Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, will preside. Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, and other clergy will concelebrate.

Following Mass, a catered dinner reception at Casa Italiana will bring the community together with speakers, Italian migrant songs and folkloric dancers from St. Bernard’s Parish. Fr. Maurizio and Maria Marigliano will serve as emcees. Scalabrinian leadership has entrusted Maria Marigliano with organizing the liturgy and reception.

Preparation has itself been an expression of community life. Since July, a committee representing the parish councils, the Sodality and the Holy Name Society has met under Fr. Maurizio’s direction. Parish volunteers will help prepare Holy Rosary Church and Casa Italiana and serve as ushers, escorts and ministers.

A historic visit, a living mission

In 1887, moved by the circumstances of Italians leaving for the United States and South America, Bishop John Baptist Scalabrini founded a community of male religious called to be migrants with the migrants. The first missionaries departed for Brazil and the United States the following year, accompanying people both on their journeys and as they built new lives.

In 1901, Scalabrini undertook an extraordinary 100-day visit to his missions in the United States. He met immigrant communities, missionaries, civic leaders and local authorities; celebrated liturgies; and delivered conferences in cities across the country. In Washington, D.C., he met President Theodore Roosevelt.

Canonized in 2022, Saint John Baptist Scalabrini left us a model of pastoral closeness that remains at the heart of our vocation. Today, Scalabrinian Fathers, Scalabrinian Sisters and Lay Scalabrinians carry this mission forward among migrants, refugees, seafarers and other people on the move throughout the world. A related initiative has also begun to accompany truck drivers, whose experiences share some of the challenges faced by seafarers.

The anniversary activities are being coordinated by Scalabrinian leadership in Rome, the Province of Saint Charles Borromeo in New York and the St. John Baptist Province in Chicago. Holy Rosary, a parish served by Scalabrinian clergy, has been chosen to host these two major commemorative events in the province.

As we look toward these days in Washington, the anniversary calls us to turn remembrance into renewed commitment: to welcome, accompany and recognize in every migrant a person with dignity, a story and a place in the family of God.