What is the difference between the Cathedral of St. Matthew and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception?
The cathedral for the Archdiocese of Washington is the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on Rhode Island Avenue, NW. Each (arch)diocese has a cathedral, considered the “mother church” of the (arch)diocese, and the place where the bishop or archbishop’s chair (“cathedra”) is located. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, while one of the largest Catholic churches in the world and the location of many archdiocesan events, is actually not a parish or cathedral, but rather a national pilgrimage site.
