Honorific title granted to church

Staff report

youngstown

St. John the Baptist Church in Canton has been granted the title of Minor Basilica by the Holy See.

In a decree granting the title of Minor Basilica, sent to Bishop George V. Murry of the Diocese of Youngstown, the Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments said 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.”

To be considered as a minor basilica, a church must supply many documents, including the petition of the bishop, brochures or reports concerning the origin, history and religious activity of the church, photos illustrating the exterior and interior form of the church, and information about the church as requested in a questionnaire.

Bishop Murry will celebrate a special Mass to acknowledge the elevation of St. John the Baptist as a minor basilica on Nov. 25 at St. John.