Word has been received that the Church of Saint John (Stamford, CT) has been given the high honor of being named a minor basilica by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.
Henceforth, the parish will be known as The Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist.
The Catholic community has been present in the Stamford sine the early 18th century but an official ecclesial community was founded in 1847. The current church was completed in 1886.
Saint John's is the second church in the State of Connecticut to receive this distinction. The first is the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Waterbury, CT. There are only 65 minor basilicas in the US.
UPDATE
The announcement from the Diocese of Bridgeport, October 17, 2009
The Stamford Advocate's article of October 17, 2009
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