The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, is now home to a basilica.
St. John the Baptist Church in Canton, Ohio, has been granted the title of Minor Basilica by the Holy See. The Vatican decree, received June 19 by Youngstown Bishop George V. Murry, states in part “such honorific title is intended to strengthen the relation of this important church with the Chair of Peter and to make it an ideal center of special liturgical and pastoral ministry in the Diocese,” according to information the diocese released Monday.
The designation means that the Basilica of St. John the Baptist holds the greatest dignity of all the churches in the diocese. Churches are elevated to basilica status because of their historical and architectural value, coupled with their contributions to the community. The process requires a church to supply documents, including: a petition of the bishop; reports related to the origin, history and religious activity of the church; and photographs of the exterior and interior of the church building.
Strictly out of curiosity, why is this article posted on T19? It is a run-of-the-mill Roman Catholic news item. Am I missing something?