A mass of thanksgiving to celebrate the church’s new status was held, led by Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron, and Deacon Thomas Avery read the Vatican decree designating the 79-year-old church a basilica — the 82nd in the U.S. and the second basilica in Michigan.
Michigan’s other Catholic basilica is in Grand Rapids. In 1980, St. Adalbert was named a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II.
Now, because of the new honor, visits to the Shrine Basilica on certain days can bring Catholics a particular blessing, known as an indulgence. An indulgence — which centuries ago could be bought — is said be akin to a bit of spiritual mercy that lightens a Catholic’s burden of sin.
In reviewing the Shrine’s application to become what’s formally known as a minor basilica, a Vatican office assessed the church’s services and outreach, the size and architectural significance of its sanctuary and the robustness of its musical offerings. Fisher said that since the announcement, there’s been an uptick in tour groups visiting the parish. That speaks to one of the particular missions associated with the basilica title.
At St. Adalbert in Grand Rapids, the title of basilica, said the Rev. Louis Stasker, “brings a certain dignity to the building itself and to the community.”
“It motivates and energizes the community to be very supportive of it and careful that it’s maintained well,” said Stasker, pastor of the 102-year-old church, where he was baptized and his parents married.
“We’ve noticed particularly in the summer we have lots more visiting,” said Stasker, noting St. Adalbert had special brochures made for area hotels. “You can always tell who the visitors are because their eyes are always up, looking.”
Because of the priest shortage in the U.S., even a basilica isn’t immune from clustering or merging with other Catholic churches. The Basilica of St. Adalbert now is part of a merged parish, known as the Basilica of St. Adalbert and St. James Church.
Symbols of the Shrine’s designation as a basilica have yet to be designed and created, but they include:
o The coat of arms: The design will adorn Shrine’s parish bulletins, letterhead and certain places in the parish.
o The ombrellino: It’s Italian for “umbrella” and harks to when popes used them for protection from the elements when they traveled. The Latin name, umbraculum, is sometimes used. As a symbol for the basilica, it will look like a partly opened umbrella and be made from fabric and embroidered with Shrine Basilica’s coat of arms. The ombrellino will be on display in the church and used in processions for feast days associated with the papacy.
o The tintinnabulum: It’s Latin for a bell, signifying the bell that alerted Catholics to the arrival of a visiting pope. The bell also will be used in processions.
Shrine’s regular mass schedule will not change. But the parish now will observe Catholic feast days associated with the papacy and Pope Francis, and that’s when the symbols such as the ombrellino and papal bell are used in processions.
The papal feast days include the June 29 Feast Day of SS. Peter and Paul and the Feb. 22 Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, the Catholic Church’s first pope. Also to be observed are March 13 and March 19, the days marking the election and installation of Pope Francis (to be replaced in the future according to when he is replaced).
With its designation as a basilica, Shrine also may be a destination for devout Catholics who follow the practice of pursuing indulgences. The doctrine of indulgences was a controversial idea that contributed to Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation. But for a segment of older Catholics and those who are more traditional, indulgences have an appeal.
On at least six days every year at Shrine, Catholics who attend a service — or even just say the Our Father prayer and the Creed — will receive an indulgence, according to church teaching.
“A plenary indulgence is a way of prayer defined by the Church that can alleviate some punishment from sin,” said Joe Kohn, an Archdiocese of Detroit spokesman. An indulgence “does not confer grace” and “is not a remission of guilt due to sin,” according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Indulgences do not replace the Catholic sacrament of penance/confession.
Among the days designated for indulgences are June 29; Dec. 23, when the Vatican granted Shrine’s request to become a basilica; Oct. 1, Feast Day of St. Therese of Lisieux, and Oct. 3, the anniversary of when the church was dedicated in 1936.
Now, on special occasions at Shrine Basilica, Fisher said, “the Church allows us to dip into the great treasury of mercy that the Lord has given us for the forgiveness of sins.”