Atlantic Breezes and Papal Air
The Very Rev.
Robert Webster, first rector of the Basilica of St. Paul, cut across the parish
to the sacristy to vest, a breviary tucked beneath his arm. It was the feast of
Inside the basilica, the organ
rocked to life and the children began to sing “City of
After 20 years at
“I baptized most of you and
celebrated your first communion,” he told them. “Some of you are my
godchildren. All things are good and we will continue to build the
Strolling through the basilica
later that morning, Father Webster considered his time at the basilica. As a
priest he helped establish the parish as one of central
But the crowning achievement of
It’s
“It is the greatest honor that can be bestowed on a parish,” Father Webster told the Register. “To honor the faith of an immigrant and poor parish community is the greatest thing the Holy Father could have done.”
This prominent church is located
on a famous stretch of U.S. 1, three blocks north of the International Speedway
in
The building itself is a replica
of the Cathedral of Valencia in
And a fine place to pray it will
be on Nov. 18, feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul
in
Mysterious Motif
Mass was first celebrated at the
Daytona church on Christmas Eve of 1927. Florida Bishop Patrick Barry blessed
the building in 1928. A sweeping lawn used to open up from the main entrance
onto
Like many
The basilica’s interior is a
smattering of Georgian and Byzantine styles, with likenesses of the Four
Evangelists embossed on the magnificent dome. German stained glass depicts the
lives of Christ, Saint John Vianney and the church’s
namesake,
The basilica is one of the few
churches in the
But perhaps the most remarkable
visual features inside the basilica are two oil-on-canvas paintings on opposite
ends of the church. The first, hanging over the altar and tabernacle chapel,
depicts the conversion of
On the wall above the organ pipes hangs a second oil painting, this one of the transfer of Christ’s body into the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. It, too, is of unknown origin.
Becoming a minor basilica brings
papal honors and gifts from
The tintinnabulum is a 12-pound copper bell used to alert people of the pope’s procession and the ombrellino is the canopy that shielded him from the elements. The bell is hand-cast and shaped like a miter, as is the archwork that holds it up.
Strong members of the Knights of Columbus hoist the tintinnabulum aloft and both are used in processions of all major events at the basilica.
The designation as a minor basilica is an affirmation of the liturgical and spiritual life of the parish, Father Webster says.
The Basilica of St. Paul was
constructed to hold 1,200 worshippers back when the parish only had 250
families. Ordinations to the priesthood took place here because it was larger
than the
In some intellectual corner of
heaven, Sts. Paul and Augustine must be having a wonderfully reasoned row over
whose is the more important
Raymond T. Cordani
writes from
Planning Your Visit
The
Basilica of Saint Paul is located at 317 Mullally Street
in
Getting There
From
Interstate 95, take exit 92 onto
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- November 12-18, 2006