The Dominican Friars of St. Joseph have announced that their annual Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage will take place this year on Sept. 26 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Each year, thousands of pilgrims from across the country gather for the full-day event to pray the rosary, celebrate the Eucharist, and entrust their intentions to the Blessed Mother.
In preparation for the 2026 Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage, the friars also announced that a nine-month novena will begin on Jan. 31 to be prayed on the last Saturday of each month until the day of the pilgrimage.
Dominican Father Joseph-Anthony Kress told EWTN News that the friars “expect to welcome even more pilgrims to Washington, D.C., than ever before.”
Explaining what first inspired the event, Kress said: “The rosary has been central to the faith life of Catholics for centuries, and preaching the rosary has been central to the mission and ministry of the Dominican friars for just as long. The Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage is a daylong celebration of our shared love of the rosary.”
He added: “Each year, the Church observes October as the month of the holy rosary, and the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage kicks off that month. Celebrating the month of the holy rosary and attending the pilgrimage annually helps us rekindle our devotion to Our Lady and her rosary.”
Kress also pointed out the importance of the nine-month novena leading up to the event. He explained that “every pilgrimage starts and ends with prayer” and said the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage “is no different.”
“By praying the nine-month novena we prepare ourselves to receive the graces God wants to give us at the pilgrimage itself. It’s also an act of charity, since we ask God to build up our brothers and sisters in Christ through this novena,” Kress said.
The priest said he hopes those who attend will “love Jesus and Mary more — at the end of the day, that’s what the pilgrimage is all about.”
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