• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
Cardinal William H. Keeler stands with Rosalie Dohm of Woodbridge

Cardinal Keeler honors Basilica’s 100,000th visitor

August 3, 2007
By Catholic Review
Filed Under: Baltimore Basilica, Local News, News

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

As Rosalie Dohm of Woodbridge, Va. climbed the stairs to the nation’s first cathedral Aug. 2, she thought it was unusual that Cardinal William H. Keeler was personally greeting each of the visitors from her parish tour group.

The 66-year-old parishioner of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Lakeridge, Va., then found herself in the spotlight when Cardinal Keeler handed her a package and balloons and congratulated her for being the 100,000th visitor to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary since it reopened last November.

“I’m dumbfounded,” said Ms. Dohm, who attended the tour with her parish’s Silver Foxes senior citizen group. “I was excited about seeing this place, but wow. What a shock to be told you are the 100,000th visitor since it opened back up to the public.”

Cardinal Keeler said he was overwhelmed by the number of people who have flocked to the first Catholic Cathedral in the United States since it was restored to the vision of its architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the father of American architecture who also designed the U.S. Capitol.

In fact, Ms. Dohm is somewhere in the neighborhood of the 108,000th visitor to the restored Basilica, but the Aug. 2 date was chosen to symbolically honor a visitor to demonstrate the volume of people who have crossed its threshold since November.

With the national spotlight on the Basilica’s reconstruction, officials from the Basilica of the Assumption Historic Trust decided to assemble an army of volunteer guides and conduct several organized tours of the building seven days a week, something it only offered once a week before the 30-month, $34 million restoration began.

“We expected there to be interest in the Basilica once it reopened, but this has been even bigger than we expected,” said Mark J. Potter, executive director of the historic trust. “We’re already on our second visitor’s sign-in book.”

Visitors from all over the world have penned their names and addresses in both of the books, with 52 percent affiliated with Catholic organizations and the other 48 percent representing all other religious groups, Mr. Potter said.

The Basilica averages about 12,000 visitors each month, with more than 16,000 entering the U.S. symbol of Catholicism in January, the month that has seen the highest volume to date, he said.

“Some people come for a religious experience,” Mr. Potter said, “while others come because they have a particular interest in history or architecture.”

The cornerstone of the downtown Baltimore Basilica was laid in 1806.

Pope Pius XI raised Baltimore’s original Cathedral to the rank of a minor basilica in 1937, giving it the honor and right to display the papal bell, the papal umbrella and the Pontifical seal.

When Cardinal Keeler became archbishop of Baltimore 18 years ago, he launched a crusade to have the Basilica restored to its original grandeur, but admitted after presenting Ms. Dohm with her “bag of goodies” that he was surprised so many have visited the city’s co-cathedral in the eight months since its reopening.

“Of course, (the Basilica) turned out to be more spectacular than we had hoped for,” he said while standing on the portico of the historic building. “Visitors take away with them a great sense of history.”

In addition to the gifts and balloons presented to Ms. Dohm for being the symbolic 100,000th visitor to the Basilica, she took home the memory that for a moment, “I felt like a celebrity.”

“I’m so excited for her,” said Jennifer Dohm of Woodbridge, Va., daughter of the big winner. “Things like this don’t happen to mom.”

Print Print

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

Catholic Review

Click here to view all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

| MOST POPULAR |

  • 3 North Americans named to Vatican dicasteries for ecumenism, interreligious dialogue

  • Archbishop Lori announces clergy appointments, including pastor and associate pastors

  • St. Mary’s purchases former Annapolis Area Christian School

  • Pope’s prayer intention for July: That the faithful might again learn how to discern

  • superman Movie Review: Superman

| Latest Local News |

Archbishop Lori announces clergy appointments, including pastor and associate pastors

DUAL ENROLLMENT

Double the learning: Dual enrollment provides college credit to high school students

St. Mary’s purchases former Annapolis Area Christian School

Radio Interview: Exploring the Nicene Creed – Part Two

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer adapts to times, cultures as it celebrates 100th anniversary

| Latest World News |

Judge blocks Trump birthright citizenship order as part of class action lawsuit

Ukraine religious leaders issue ‘desperate cry’ to world to end Russia’s war

care of creation

Pope Leo wears Chicago-made vestments to July 9 ‘care of creation’ Mass

sorry baby

Movie Review: Sorry, Baby

ICE

ICE deports Iowa parishioner to Guatemala homeland as supporters pray for his release

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Expert discusses serious harms of smartphones for children and how to limit their use
  • Movie Review: Superman
  • Judge blocks Trump birthright citizenship order as part of class action lawsuit
  • Ukraine religious leaders issue ‘desperate cry’ to world to end Russia’s war
  • Pope Leo wears Chicago-made vestments to July 9 ‘care of creation’ Mass
  • Movie Review: Sorry, Baby
  • ICE deports Iowa parishioner to Guatemala homeland as supporters pray for his release
  • Come away and rest awhile
  • French woman hopes sharing mystical encounter with Minnesota Benedictine helps sainthood cause

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2025 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

en Englishes Spanish
en en