St. Paul's Church in Orlando Diocese named a minor basilica

Published: 2006-01-31

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (CNS) -- Orlando Bishop Thomas G. Wenski celebrated a special Mass Jan. 25 after receiving the history-making news that Pope Benedict XVI designated St. Paul's Catholic Church in Daytona Beach a minor basilica. "It is a great honor for the parish community and the diocese. The fact that a church is designated as a minor basilica is a great example not only of architecture, but a great example of what the liturgical and spiritual life of any parish community should be," Father Robert E. Webster, pastor, told The Florida Catholic, Orlando's diocesan newspaper. Basilica, based on the Greek words for royal and king, is a title bestowed by the pope on a church of historical and spiritual importance. The papal honor makes St. Paul's the 60th church in the United States to be designated a minor basilica. It is the second church in Florida to receive the honor, after the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine, designated in 1976. It is also the first basilica designated by Pope Benedict.

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