ASHEVILLE — More than 100 parishioners from Sacred Heart Church made a pilgrimage to St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville in celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy on Aug. 10, the feast day of St. Lawrence.
Upon arriving at the basilica, the parishioners heard a short lecture by Andrew Davis, director of Music and Liturgy at the basilica, on both the art and architecture of the church. They were then given the opportunity to tour the church and its chapels. Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor of Sacred Heart Church, celebrated Mass to honor St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr. Upon returning to Brevard, a dinner was shared in the parish fellowship hall.
Pope Francis has encouraged all Catholics to make a pilgrimage, either to Rome or to one’s local cathedral or other holy site designated by the Church, as part of the jubilee year.
A basilica is a special designation given to certain churches because of their antiquity, dignity, historical importance or significance as a place of worship. Presently there are 56 basilicas in the United States. St. Lawrence was established as a Basilica in 1993 by St. John Paul II and is one of three Year of Mercy pilgrimage churches in the Diocese of Charlotte.
The basilica was built by Spanish Architect Rafael Gustavino, who came to Asheville in the mid 1880s to work on the Biltmore House. In 1905, his construction of the present church began and was completed in 1909. A National Historic Site, the basilica is open for tours: visit their website at www.saintlawrencebasilica.org for details.
