On Oct. 4, 2004, the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, acting on behalf of the late Pope John Paul II, granted the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston the title of minor basilica.
Over the last several days, the parishioners of Saints Peter and Paul and many friends from throughout Maine have been celebrating the conferral of this papal honor on their parish church. The festivities will culminate today at 5 p.m. with a solemn Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Bishop Richard J. Malone of Portland. In the course of the ceremony, the Latin decree conferring the title will be read in French and English translation. Two symbols associated with medieval papal processions, the papal umbrella or canopy and a bell mounted on a staff, reminiscent of the bells used to announce the arrival of papal processions, will be placed in the church for the first time. Finally, the coat of arms of the building will be unveiled at the conclusion of Mass.
Saints Peter and Paul Basilica joins more than 50 other Catholic churches in the United States with the same designation, among them the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame University in Indiana. The significance and history of this particular honor, bestowed upon Catholic churches of exceptional merit, is not very familiar to many in the wider community, and not very familiar to many in the Catholic community itself.
The word “basilica” can be traced to the Greek words basileos oikos, or “house of the king,” referring to the large, columned buildings in Roman society that served as law courts and market places. These eventually developed rounded apses at one end of the rectangular building with the seats for judges and other civic officials.
After the legalization of Christianity by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the early 4th century, Christians adopted this particular architectural form for some of their most prominent churches. In time, this architectural term became a way of designating certain churches that were renowned for their importance in Roman Catholicism regardless of the architectural style in which they were built.
Today, the four major basilicas in Rome are St. Peter’s Basilica, built over the burial place of St. Peter, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, built over the burial place of St. Paul, the Basilica of Mary Major, the first church built in the West in honor of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, and the Basilica of St. John Latran, the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome. Over the centuries, popes have granted the title of minor basilica to other churches of importance in the city of Rome, and eventually to similar churches outside Rome.
There is an established process for determining which churches receive this papal designation. The title is conferred upon churches that are renowned for their artistic and architectural merit, known for the quality of their liturgical celebrations, and centers of educational and charitable activity.
In September of 2000, Joseph J. Gerry, the bishop of Portland, submitted the application to the Congregation for Divine Worship during the course of the Great Jubilee Year marking the bimillenium of the birth of Jesus Christ. It was in this context that Bishop Gerry asked the Vatican to designate Saints Peter and Paul as a minor basilica.
Bishop Gerry had several goals in seeking this designation. He hoped that this would serve as recognition for the many sacrifices made by the parishioners to build this amazing structure in the first place, and then to restore it through two successive capital campaigns, the first held in 1991. The capital campaigns succeeded in stabilizing the exterior of the building, which was badly compromised by the ravages of the elements over the years. They also succeeded in making a number of urgent improvements to the heating and electrical systems of the upper church, as well as returning that magnificent space to its original splendor.
At one point prior to 1991, the projected cost of renovating was so daunting that the parish even had to consider the possibility of demolition.
Thankfully, this option was roundly rejected, and the parish set itself on the course of making their church the pride of Lewiston once again. Obviously, this kind of faith and dedication deserved recognition.
Secondly, Bishop Gerry hoped that the designation of Saints Peter and Paul as a basilica would give the church a wider role in the city and in the state. This fall, Saints Peter and Paul will host the annual Red Mass for lawyers and judges to mark the beginning of the judicial year, and it will host the Blue Mass for firefighters and law enforcement officers on Sunday, Sept. 11. It has hosted the annual White Mass for medical professionals. Each spring it hosts a regional celebration of the Rite of Election, where adults who are in the process of becoming Catholic have an opportunity to pray with and meet the bishop. More recently, a Mass to mark to the passing of Pope John Paul II drew about 1,000 people from Androscoggin County and from places such as Ellsworth, Bucksport, Bath, Rumford and Biddeford. Clearly, Saints Peter and Paul has already begun to serve a mission, which is broader than simply its own parishioners.
Thirdly, Bishop Gerry considered that it was important to highlight the historic and cultural importance of Saints Peter and Paul Parish in the life of the Catholic Church in Maine.
From its beginnings in 1870, the church has been the seedbed for the foundation of St. Mary’s, Holy Cross and Holy Family Parishes in Lewiston, St. Louis Parish in Auburn and the parishes in Norway and Sabbattus. St. Peter and Sacred Heart Elementary School and St. Dominic Regional High School began their institutional histories as ministries of the parish.
Father Pierre Hevey, the first pastor, invited the Sisters of Charity of St. Hyacinth, Quebec, to Lewiston, leading to the foundation over the years of St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Orphanage for Girls, the Healy Asylum (Orphanage) for Boys, the Marcotte Home, D’Youville Pavilion and Maison Marcotte. The Dominican friars were instrumental in founding the precursors to Tri-County Mental Health Services and the Colisée, and still direct St. Martin de Porres Transitional Residence for Men.
For many years, Saints Peter and Paul has been a point of pride in the state’s Franco-American community. It was the place where many Franco leaders were educated and where the language, faith and culture of New France were fostered. This heritage of service to the community needed to be recognized.
Finally, Bishop Gerry hoped that the status of minor basilica would help Saints Peter and Paul take on a prominent role in the new evangelization called for by Pope John Paul II. While the witness of the lives of the saints is the most powerful form of evangelization, it is often forgotten that beauty is also a means to discover the reality and presence of God in the world.
Saints Peter and Paul is the largest Catholic church building in Maine, and it is arguably among the most beautiful. Could mere curiosity about this grand place of worship lead some people to enter it for the first time and discover there something they have not discovered anywhere else? Might they seek further to discover the One who is Beauty itself? That was Bishop Gerry’s hope.
Certainly Saints Peter and Paul did not need any title or honor to accomplish this most important function of raising hearts and minds to the world above. It has been doing that for decades for anyone familiar with it. However, perhaps this designation will mean that some who never had any reason to visit it may now discover for the first time this testament of faith written in stone, wood and glass. If they stop to think of all the people, past and present, who have been the witnesses to this faith, they may feel the stirrings of new-found faith within themselves. If that is so, all the sacrifices to make the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul what it is today will have been worth it.
The Rev. Monsignor Marc B. Caron is the director of the Office for Worship of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
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