The Basilica’s wooden saints While construction of the Basilica was officially completed and the magnificent structure open for parishioners in 1938, changes and enhancements to the church were made almost from the very beginning. For example, the stained-glass windows appear to be part of the original construction, but only the Malo window at the rear […]
Celebrating the Basilica
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The Dominican medallions
Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul This past Tuesday, Aug. 8, was the feast day of Saint Dominic. Dominic established the Dominican order by the authority of Pope Honorius III in 1216, he was canonized as a saint in 1234, and the Order of Preachers remains active around the world today more than […]
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Early skepticism and L-A's iconic image
Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul In most literature about the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the church and its place on the Lewiston-Auburn skyline is described as “iconic.” It’s an image, an emblem and a sign of meaning. For some, it may even be an object of uncritical devotion. Over the […]
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The Basilica's mysterious bend
The center aisle of the Basilica takes a turn near the front of the church. Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul One of the as-yet-unsolved mysteries of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is often missed by regular attendees and infrequent visitors alike. From the pews, it’s subtle and almost imperceptible. Priests, […]
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The welcoming baptismal font
Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Father Robert D. Lariviere, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Auburn, served at Saints Peter and Paul Church from 1999 through 2008. He was involved in the restoration project and remembers the restoration committee was of one mind about how visitors and parishioners would experience […]
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The beautiful, solemn Dominican choir
Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Gail Gregoire Lawrence was a student at St. Peter’s School in the 1960s and remembers the regular walks from Bates Street to what was then Saints Peter and Paul church. She remembers polished marble and sparkling chandeliers; she counted the jewel-like colors in the glittering glass windows. […]
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St. John, the Infant of Prague and the curly locks that bind them
Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul The prophet Isaiah identified John the Baptist as one “crying out in the wilderness.” The gospel of Matthew describes him as wearing a camel-hair tunic and subsisting on locusts and wild honey. John’s ministry foretold the coming of Jesus Christ, the “lamb of God,” and artist depictions […]
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The majestic Casavant organ
Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul In 1916, the renowned pipe organ builders Casavant Freres of Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada, installed a three-manual (three keyboard) organ, the Opus 665, in the basement of the half-finished St. Peter’s Church. Twenty-two years later, Dominican brothers — who came from that same southwestern Quebec town and were overseeing […]
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Louis Malo: Builder left lasting legacy
Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts. The first part ran Sunday, June 4. Catherine Malo has boxes of articles and photographs of her great-grandfather, Louis Malo. Lesser-known stories about him have been passed down from his seven children (six sons and a daughter). Grandchildren […]
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Louis Malo: Builder of the Basilica
Another article dated Aug. 18, 1928, featured information about the soon-to-be-built Saints Peter and Paul Church. The plans proposed by the Boston architects O’Connell and Shaw had recently been accepted. It was almost seven years before construction on what would later become the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul began in earnest, also under the […]