Live Mass from 26 Catholic Pilgrimage Sites
Watch live-streamed Mass from 26 Catholic pilgrimage sites — Marian apparition shrines, apostolic tombs and relics — each with a direct link to its live stream.
What is a Catholic pilgrimage?
A pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place made as an act of devotion — to venerate a saint’s tomb or relics, to pray at the site of an approved apparition, or to seek healing, penance and grace. Catholics have travelled to such places since the earliest centuries of the Church.
Shrine, basilica or cathedral — what’s the difference?
Under the Code of Canon Law (Canon 1230), a shrine is “a church or other sacred place to which the faithful make pilgrimage for a special reason of piety.” A cathedral is the seat of a diocese’s bishop, and a basilica is an honorific granted by the Pope — neither is a pilgrimage site by title alone. Every church below is a genuine destination because of what it holds: an apparition, an apostle’s tomb, a major relic or a recognised devotion.
Marian shrines & apparition sites
Churches built where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared, or that enshrine a revered Marian image — the destinations of the largest pilgrimages on earth.
Enshrines the Holy House of Nazareth; a major Marian pilgrimage site
Basílica Nacional de Nuestra Señora de Luján
Argentina’s foremost national Marian shrine (Our Lady of Luján)
Home of the Black Madonna at Jasna Góra; Poland’s most revered shrine
Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Svatá Hora
Svatá Hora (Holy Mountain), Bohemia’s pre-eminent Marian pilgrimage site
Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida
Brazil’s national shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
The United States’ national Marian shrine (the Immaculate Conception)
Shrine of Mary Help of Christians; tomb of St John Bosco
A major centre of Marian devotion (Our Lady of Victories)
Insigne y Nacional Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe
Enshrines the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe; the most-visited Marian shrine in the world
Site of the 1879 apparition; Ireland’s national Marian shrine
Namyang Holy Mother's Shrine (Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Namyang)
South Korea’s national shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary
National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
The Philippines’ national shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Baclaran)
Site of the 1858 Marian apparitions; a world centre of healing pilgrimage
Panama’s national Marian shrine
Site of the 1917 apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima
Diocesan shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary; a chapel for every mystery
The Catholic National Shrine and Basilica of our Lady
England’s national Marian shrine (Our Lady of Walsingham)
Apostolic tombs & major relics
Churches raised over the grave of an apostle or saint, or holding a major relic — the reason pilgrims have journeyed to Rome, Santiago and beyond for centuries.
Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter's Basilica)
Built over the tomb of St Peter the Apostle; heart of Catholic pilgrimage to Rome
Shrine of St Thérèse of Lisieux; France’s second-largest pilgrimage site
Enshrines the tomb of St James the Apostle; goal of the Camino de Santiago
Houses the Shrine of the Three Kings with relics of the Magi
St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica (San Thome Church)
Built over the tomb of St Thomas the Apostle; one of few churches over an apostle’s grave
Divine Mercy shrines
Home of the Divine Mercy devotion revealed to St Faustina — a modern pilgrimage movement now centred on Kraków and its daughter shrines.
Tomb of St Faustina; cradle of the Divine Mercy devotion (Kraków-Łagiewniki)
The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy
The United States’ national shrine of The Divine Mercy
Other centres of devotion
Churches drawing pilgrims to a distinctive and long-established devotion.
Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno
Home of the Black Nazarene; centre of one of the world’s largest devotions (Quiapo)
National centre of devotion to St Jude Thaddeus
The great pilgrimage routes
For over a thousand years the faithful have walked established routes across Europe to reach these shrines. Two of the most famous end at churches in this directory — traced illustratively on the map above:
- Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés) — to Santiago de Compostela
- Via Francigena — to St Peter's Basilica, Rome
Routes shown on the map are illustrative (major historic waypoints), not the surveyed trail. Base geography © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Looking for a bishop’s cathedral instead? Browse the cathedrals hub.