Pope Francis names St. Mary in Alexandria a basilica

“Today, we are overjoyed and humbled by the recognition of St.
Mary as one of the major churches in the world dedicated to Christ,” said Father
Edward C. Hathaway, pastor. “Thank you so much, Bishop Burbidge, for being here
with us today, and for the encouragement and enthusiasm you have shown during
the many months that led to this announcement.”

To be named a basilica, a church must have architectural or
historic value and meet liturgical requirements, such as an adequate amount of
space in the sanctuary and a fitting number of priests. There are only four
major basilicas, all in Rome — St. Peter, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside
the Walls, and St. Mary Major. 

There are thousands of minor basilicas throughout the world,
including the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore and the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate
Conception in Norfolk. 

A committee from St. Mary began to research the application
process for becoming a basilica last January, according to Father Hathaway.
Bishop Burbidge approved the application in June, and sent it to the U.S. Conference
of Catholics Bishops’ Office of Congregation for Divine Worship. They approved
the plan in July, and sent it to the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship
and Discipline of the Sacraments. 

“The naming of St. Mary as a minor basilica brings honor to the
entire diocese and to Roman Catholics throughout the country,” said Father
Hathaway. “As the first Catholic parish in Virginia and West Virginia, learning
its history is to gain a greater insight into the spread of the Catholic faith
in the former English colonies and throughout our nation.”

In 1788, an Irish aide-de-camp of George Washington, Col. John
Fitzgerald, held a fundraiser in his home for the construction of a Catholic
church. Washington was the first to donate. In 1795, St. Mary was established
as a mission of Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. Eventually, a church was
built on South Royal Street, where the contemporary church stands, and was
dedicated by Jesuit Father Francis Ignatius Neale in 1827. 

Throughout the years, the church has undergone several repairs
and renovations. Ministry buildings and offices such as the Lyceum as well as
the cemetery are scattered around Old Town. The parish school, one of the
largest in the diocese with around 700 students, was established in 1869 after
a wave of poor Irish immigrants arrived in the area. Today, St. Mary has 7,100
registered parishioners and dozens of liturgical, fellowship and service
ministries. 

In the near future, the church will be marked with special
signage indicating its new status. As with all basilicas, St. Mary will install
an ombrellino, a silk canopy designed with
stripes of yellow and red — the traditional papal colors — and a tintinnabulum, a bell mounted on a pole and carried
during some processions.

“Crossed keys, which are the symbol of the papacy, will be placed
prominently on the church exterior,” said Father Hathaway. 

St. Mary also has designed a seal, which all basilicas have. The
symbols within the seal pay homage to the diocese, the Jesuits who founded the
parish and to Our Lady. In the bottom right quadrant of the shield is a ship,
representing Alexandria’s role as an important port town in colonial times. The
vessel further represents the frigates that brought Catholic immigrants to the
New World. 

“The Ark and The Dove were the two famous ships, chartered by
Cecil Calvert to transport 140 colonists to the shores of Maryland,” according
to a statement from St. Mary. “Similar ships brought the Jesuit founders, as
well as many Irish and Scottish merchants, to the port City of Alexandria.”

The seal is one of the many ways the new basilica will aim to
share its past with visitors. 

“We will be looking for ways to communicate our significant
history and contribution to Catholicism in the commonwealth and beyond through
printed guides and other means,” said Father Hathaway. 

The parishioners at the Jan. 14 Mass applauded the announcement. Sam
Lukawski, a fifth-grader at St. Mary School, was one of the 11 altar servers at
the Mass. “I was glad that it became a minor basilica and that it’ll be (St.
Mary Basilica) instead of St. Mary Church,” he said.

Pat Troy, a longtime parishioner, sent his children to the school
and used to host Theology on Tap in his Alexandria bar. He loves the parish for
its commitment to Our Lady, its priests and the fact that it was founded in
part by an Irishman. “This was the first time (we) walked down the steps of
this historic church as St. Mary Basilica,” he said with reverence.

Jonathan Fililpowski and Nicole Hendershot are getting married at
St. Mary in April. “We’re excited to be able to get married at a basilica. It’s
a beautiful space to come and be able to worship, tied to the roots of our
nation,” she said.

Deborah and Glenn Cooper were thrilled by the announcement. “I’m
so honored to be part of this historic occasion. It makes me want to go back
and probe more into the history of the church and also into the whole meaning
of being a basilica,” she said. 

Parish Timeline

1781: In thanksgiving for victory at the Battle of Yorktown,
a Catholic priest serving the Comte de Rochambeau offered the first Roman
Catholic Mass in the City of Alexandria. The prohibition against Catholic
worship was lifted for this occasion.

1785: Thomas Jefferson issued the Act for Establishing
Religious Freedom, allowing Catholics to worship openly in the Commonwealth of
Virginia, which at the time included the area that later became West Virginia.

1788: Col. John Fitzgerald, former Aide-de-Camp to General
George Washington, held a dinner in his home on St. Patrick’s Day to raise
funds for the construction of a Catholic church. George Washington made the
first contribution to the undertaking, equivalent to approximately $1,200.

1795: Jesuit Father Francis Ignatius Neale founded St.
Mary Church, a mission of Holy Trinity Church of Georgetown, which was
established in 1787. The cornerstone was laid on land that later became St.
Mary’s Cemetery. Bishop John Carroll, S.J., first bishop of Baltimore, visited
the new church during its construction. However, the building of the church is
never completed.

1810: Father Joseph W. Fairclough, a missionary from
England, became pastor and arranged for the purchase of the Chapel Alley
Meeting House from the Methodist Congregation on South Royal Street, the spot where
the church stands today. 

1827: The church was dedicated by Father Neale March 4,
with Father Fairclough in attendance.  

1894: During the pastorate of Father Henry J. Cutler the
church is rebuilt with a new 135-foot belfry and increased seating capacity,
resulting in the church structure as it is known today.

1929: Under the pastorate of Father William A. McKeefry,
the church is damaged in the “great fire of 1929” that primarily destroyed the
ceiling. Father McKeefry died not long after the fire while actively engaged in
the restoration of the church.

1974: Bishop Thomas J. Welsh became the first bishop of the
Diocese of Arlington Aug. 13. Although St. Mary Church was the “eldest
daughter” of the new diocese, the limited size and lack of available parking
prevented selection of the church as the cathedral.

2011: Due to the July earthquake in Louisa County, Va.,
bricks falling from the parapet above the sanctuary severely damaging the
skylight and shattering the right arm of the corpus on the crucifix. Extensive
restorations to the crucifix, the skylight and the stained-glass windows
throughout the church were made over the course of the year.

2018: St. Mary becomes a minor basilica. 

—   
Source: St. Mary website 

Find out more

Go to stmaryoldtown.org

Learn about the basilica seal