Faith, charity and beauty
ASHEVILLE — Staff and volunteers of St. Lawrence Basilica rolled out the red carpet Aug. 8 to welcome returning parishioners and Bishop Peter Jugis to celebrate the parish’s patronal feast day.
It was the bishop’s first visit to the historic basilica this year, and for many parishioners, their first time inside since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the parish to switch to livestreamed Masses.
Dressed in red vestments to mark the feast day, Bishop Jugis highlighted in his homily the faith and charity of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr.
“We see both of these in the life of St. Lawrence. His amazing witness of charity and faith inspires us as we celebrate his feast day as our parish patron saint,” Bishop Jugis said.
He recalled how St. Lawrence was renowned for his ministry of charity to the poor people of Rome and said the saint’s example of charity should always inspire the faithful in service to the poor and the needy.
St. Lawrence also offered his life as a martyr for Christ – an even greater witness of his charity, the bishop noted.
“No doubt St. Lawrence could have avoided suffering, torture and death if he had just denied Christ and denied his faith, as the emperor demanded of all Christians.
But St. Lawrence said no. He had found ‘the pearl of great price’ as Jesus speaks of in His parables,” Bishop Jugis explained.
“Faith and charity, charity and faith, go hand in hand in the life of St. Lawrence.”
“All of this comes from Jesus, who shows us His perfect charity. He offers His life on the cross – so great is His love for us, for our salvation, and for the forgiveness of our sins. As a further sign of charity and His love for us, He gives Himself to us at every Mass in the Holy Eucharist,” he continued. “From now until the end of time, from the Last Supper until His second coming, His charity knows no limits. Jesus’ love is everlasting.”
Concelebrating the Mass was Father Nohe Torres, parochial vicar. The basilica’s pastor, Father Roger Arnsparger, served as master of ceremonies and was assisted by Deacon Phillip Miles. Several seminarians from St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly also participated in the liturgy.
After Mass all were invited to a parish picnic held under a large tent in the parking lot next to the basilica.
Parish staff, ministry volunteers and Knights of Columbus were all smiles as they greeted guests, newcomers and longtime parishioners, welcoming them back after more than a year of limited or no ability to attend Mass in person or participate in parish activities.
When asked what she loves most about her parish of 11 years, choir member Dona Cavanagh said, “I love the choir. It’s a little extra job to do, it gives us a purpose.
I couldn’t not come on Sundays. It gets me out of the door in the morning. I just have to be here, it’s a wonderful place.
Usher Chris Fiore and his wife Kamilla have been parishioners of the basilica for more than four years. “We came and visited a couple of years before we moved here. The first time we saw the basilica we were on vacation in Tennessee. We were driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and decided we wanted to come see it. We fell in love with the basilica.”
Fiore says what he loves about it now, after being involved at the parish is that “it’s such a vibrant community. There is so much spirit. People are really fervent here.”
Tom Bernard and his wife Denise are newcomers to the parish after moving to Asheville last April. They have joined the choir and sang for the feast day Mass. Bernard said when they came to the area, “we fell in love with the basilica. It reminds us so much of the churches in New Orleans where we are from. We were drawn to it for that reason.”
Deacon Miles, who has served the parish for the past five years, says he loves the people. “Everyone tells me we have a beautiful church, but it is made more beautiful when the people are in it. It is a special community.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
‘Everyone tells me we have a beautiful church, but it is made more beautiful when the people are in it.’
Deacon Phillip Miles
About St. Lawrence Basilica
St. Lawrence Basilica is one of two minor basilicas in the Charlotte diocese; the other is Mary Help of Christians Basilica in Belmont.
There are two kinds of basilicas in the Catholic Church: major (or papal) and minor. The Church’s four major basilicas are all in Rome: St. Peter, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. Mary Major. Minor basilicas, on the other hand, are churches around the world designated by the pope that stand out because of their antiquity, dignity, historical importance, architectural and artistic worth, or significance to the Church.
When he was pope, St. John Paul II designated the Asheville church as a minor basilica in 1993 for its unique architecture: with its massive tiled dome, it is the only church designed and built by the renowned Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino.
The basilica sits on a hill in downtown Asheville. The red brick building, built in the Spanish Renaissance style, is capped by a copper dome guarded by statues of St. Lawrence, St. Stephen and St. Aloysius Gonzaga.
The 82-foot-by-58-foot dome, constructed of terracotta tile and mortar like most of the church, is one of the largest free-standing elliptical domes in North America. It features the same vaulting technique and herringbone tile pattern that Guastavino used at Grand Central Terminal and Ellis Island’s Registry Room, as well as 200-plus other locations in New York City, and at Asheville’s Biltmore House.
Guastavino is actually buried inside the basilica he built, and visitors can visit his crypt to the left of the main altar.
Self-guided tours are available. Tours are free but donations are very much appreciated.
Renovation campaign launches this fall
St. Lawrence Basilica was one of a select few churches nationwide to participate the National Fund for Sacred Places in 2020, a program of Partners for Sacred Places, the only national non-sectarian nonprofit that helps communities preserve their historic religious properties. Its mission is to build a shared sense of responsibility for the future of sacred places.
The award means the basilica can receive a matching grant of up to $250,000 and a package of customized planning grants, training and technical assistance, coaching and consulting services through Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
This funding and support will be used to help launch a parish capital campaign this fall to make urgently needed repairs to the dome, roof and parapets.
Parishioner Mary Everist is helping to secure resources for the basilica’s preservation and spreading the word about the need for donations to garner the matching grant.
“We have a $250,000 matching grant, so we have to raise $500,000 to receive the matching grant. All of the money we raise now will go directly to that matching grant,” Everist explains. “You don’t need to wait for the campaign. All of the money goes to the preservation of the basilica.”
Questions? Contact Everist at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call the parish office at 828-252-6042.
More online
At www.saintlawrencebasilica.org: Learn more about the history and architecture of St. Lawrence Basilica, view the Mass and confession schedule, and plan your visit
At www.savethebasilica.org: Support the Basilica Preservation Fund to repair and restore the historic basilica
