Meetings

The National Society of Saints and Sinners will meet in even-numbered years in or around Washington, D.C. Meetings will be held on Tuesday afternoons. Notices of all meetings will be sent to membership as a Call prior to all assemblies. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, April 9, a tour in DC.  Place and time not yet determined.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in 2018 was awesome.  The workmanship throughout the building was awe inspiring.   Romanesque and Byzantine elements were evident throughout.  Construction began in 1920, concluded in 2017, and includes 70 Chapels.  The Basilica has the distinction of being the tallest habitable building in the District.  Bus rides to and fro, and refreshments during the business meeting concluded our trip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Due to the ordered closing of businesses in the District of Columbia because of COVID-19, our tenth anniversary meeting in 2020 had to be cancelled. A donation was made to the Washington National Cathedral towards the continued restoration of the damages from the 2011 earthquake. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2022 for another great tour and meeting.

2018 the joint meeting was held at the Holiday Inn Central with the Order of American Cousins of the Present and Future Sovereigns of great Britain. A tour of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was enjoyed by members. A donation was made to the Basilica.

2016 took us on an intensive discussion and tour of The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D.C., most commonly known as St. Matthew’s Cathedral, with a High Tea following at the Mayflower Hotel. The church is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. As St. Matthew’s Cathedral and Rectory, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

St. Matthew’s is dedicated to the Apostle Matthew, who among other things is patron saint of civil servants, having himself been a tax collector. It was established 176 years ago in 1840 as the fourth Catholic parish in the District of Columbia. Originally located at 15th and H Streets, construction of the current church began in 1893, with the first Mass being celebrated June 2, 1895. Construction continued until 1913 when the church was dedicated. In 1939, it became the cathedral for the newly established Archdiocese of Washington. It is most famously known as the church used for the recited (not sung) Pontifical Requiem Low Mass during the state funeral of President John F. Kennedy on Monday, November 25, 1963, which was followed by the procession to Arlington National Cemetery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our 2014 meeting was at Hillwood Estate for luncheon. A bus was available from the Army and Navy Club for your transport convenience. Hillwood Estate was created by Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post cereal fortune.  The museum features Russian Orthodox icons along with Fabergé eggs, Russian porcelain, Beauvais tapestries and Sèvres porcelain. A tour of the home and grounds w followed by our meeting, lunch and installation of new officers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We were pleased to receive a warm reception at the National Cathedral for our inaugural meeting in 2012. Members enjoyed a private tour and tea in the turret. One of the many highlights of the meeting was the acceptance of a donation for earthquake repair by the Master Stonemason of the Cathedral.