The United States has 94 basilicas, and author Grady Connolly has visited every one of them. Now he hopes others will follow in his footsteps with the help of his forthcoming book.
In Basilicas: A Pilgrim’s Guide to America’s Most Remarkable Catholic Churches, Connolly recounts the history of each church, includes photographs and offers a personal reflection on his visit.
“This book is both a pilgrim’s guide and a story of faith. I wanted it to serve as a companion for pilgrims, helping them discover these churches across the country and inspiring new experiences of faith in their own backyards,” he told the Catholic Herald.
It took Connolly four years to visit all 94 basilicas in the United States, although more than half of them were visited during 2025. He said the accelerated schedule was driven by a desire to complete the pilgrimage before the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the designation of America’s first basilica – St Mary’s Basilica in Minneapolis, Connolly noted.
Although his journey took him across the country to many of America’s best-known destinations, Connolly regarded himself as a pilgrim rather than a tourist. Inspired by Pope Francis’s description of pilgrims as people who “immerse themselves fully in the places they encounter”, he sought to approach each visit in that spirit.
“A pilgrimage,” he said, “is special.”
“We set out on an adventure of faith, trusting that God will meet us along the way.”
Even though his own pilgrimage took him across the country, Connolly said long-distance travel is not essential for someone seeking to go on a pilgrimage of their own.
“You can make a pilgrimage within your own diocese. That’s the goal of this project: to inspire people to discover places of extraordinary beauty, peace and prayer where they can draw closer to the heart of Jesus,” he said.
Connolly’s appreciation of basilicas began while he was a student at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. The university stands beside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church building in North America.
“As a freshman, I visited every morning, a habit that truly changed my life. During those many hours spent with God in this beautiful basilica and shrine dedicated to Our Lady, I fell in love with the Church in a whole new way,” Connolly said.
After that experience, he said he felt inspired to visit the other 93 basilicas in the United States and document his journey.
Asked why he chose basilicas rather than cathedrals, shrines or other notable churches, Connolly said basilicas “receive this special designation directly from the Pope as places where the story of our Faith is told, sacramental grace is abundant, and pilgrimage is encouraged”.
“Given these churches’ special connection to the Pope, I also wanted to use these prayerful visits to pray for the health, safety and ministry of the Holy Father. I found that this papal dimension of the pilgrimage inspired a deeper love for the primacy of Peter and a great appreciation for the Pope,” he said.
The 94 basilicas are spread across 35 states. New York has the most, with eight, although basilicas can be found in every major region of the United States. Some are in major cities and receive millions of visitors each year, while others are in small towns.
Dyersville, Iowa, with a population of just under 4,500, is home to the Basilica of St Francis Xavier, which Connolly described as a “hidden gem”.
“In this small town in the Midwest, pilgrims will find a brick church flanked by two striking spires. Although an impressive structure, the inside is beyond anything you would imagine. The interior is one of the most beautifully decorated churches I’ve seen in rural America,” he said.
Visiting all 94 basilicas proved to be a transformative experience for Connolly, both as an American and as a Catholic.
“We have so much to be thankful for as American Catholics,” he said. While Rome and the Holy Land have beautiful and historic churches of their own, “the United States has been blessed with many great saints, many of whom are closely connected to the stories of these basilicas”.
“The Catholic Church,” Connolly said, “is truly one of God’s greatest gifts.
“The sacraments, the clarity and consistency of her teaching, the papacy, the angels and saints, and our personal encounter with Jesus Christ are gifts we will never fully comprehend on this side of heaven. The more I have made pilgrimage, the more deeply I have fallen in love with the Church and all that she is.”
The journey to visit every basilica was not easy, Connolly said, involving “long flights, overnight stays in small-town hotels, and countless early morning drives across the country”.
“Yet every mile was rewarded by the privilege of arriving at these remarkable places of worship,” he said.
“When we step outside the ordinary and enter a new place with an open heart, God often meets us in unexpected ways,” he said. “He teaches us, forms us, and draws us closer to Himself, shaping us into believers who don’t simply know the Faith, but truly live it.”
Basilicas: A Pilgrim’s Guide to America’s Most Remarkable Catholic Churches will be published on October 30, 2026.
