By Daniel Hartill,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – The city’s grandest church will soon become more than a church.

On Sunday, May 22, Saints Peter and Paul Church is scheduled to be inaugurated as a basilica, linking the nearly century-old building to Rome.

In Catholic circles, each basilica is known casually as “the pope’s church.”

“There are only about 50 in the whole country,” said Monsignor Marc Caron, director of the office for worship of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. “It highlights our connection with the Bishop of Rome.”

In a sense, basilicas are churches with added duties. Besides all of the jobs that Saints Peter and Paul has performed for decades, special services will commemorate the coronation of the new pope. There will be greater study of the pope’s documents and greater promotion of both daily prayers and the celebrations of Advent, Christmas and Lent.

“This is a very rare event,” said Robert Gilbert, one of the local organizers for the inauguration celebration, slated to begin on Wednesday. “We’ll never see this again in my lifetime.”

It has taken years to get here.

Basilicas are chosen for their architectural beauty, the commitment of the parish population and its tradition in the community.

An application began the process in 1999, as the exterior of the church was restored and the interior work was being planned. Testimonials and photos were taken. Last fall, the results came back.

Cardinal Francis Arinzi, the Vatican’s prefect of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, gave his approval.

It came in the name of the pope.

The honor is an acknowledgment of the church’s long history of enriching the community, said Caron, noting that it will be the first basilica in northern New England.

To celebrate, several days of events are planned, from concerts and a lecture to an open house and a banquet. The post office is offering a special commemorative stamp for the occasion.

For the inauguration, Bishop Richard Malone will lead the afternoon Mass. He will read – in English and French – the Vatican decree that formally makes the church into a basilica.

A new custom-made coat of arms will be unveiled along with two medieval symbols of the papacy, a bell called a tintinabulum and an ombrellino, a red- and yellow-striped umbrella made in Rome.

It’s an event that is expected to draw people from many area churches. The inaugural events have been planned by people from all of Lewiston-Auburn’s Catholic parishes.

The money for the celebration was raised locally.

Maurice Theriault, representing Holy Cross Church, said the designation creates a rebirth of sorts.

“It represents a renewal for the church in Lewiston-Auburn,” he said.