Detroit, Mich., Mar 2, 2020 / 14:06 pm
The Archdiocese of Detroit announced Sunday that Pope Francis has granted the title of minor basilica to Ste. Anne Church in Detroit, one of the longest continuously operating parishes in the country.
"At its founding on the Feast of St. Anne in 1701, this parish was among the first fruits of a new missionary diocese," Archbishop Allen Vigneron said March 1.
"I consider this designation as a basilica to be a providential reminder that today, we each are called to continue this same mission to unleash the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the men and women of our time."
The title of minor basilica is an honor bestowed by the pope to signify a church of "particular importance for liturgical and pastoral life," and signify a "particular link" with Rome and the pope, according to the norms laid out in the Congregation for Divine Worship's 1989 document Domus Ecclesiae.