Arlington, Va., Jan 16, 2018 / 15:59 pm
St. Mary Catholic Church in Alexandria, the first permanent Catholic parish in Virginia, has a new name and a new designation for the new year. It was announced Sunday that the Holy See had decreed the building to be a minor basilica, and the church will now be known as "The Basilica of Saint Mary."
Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington announced during the 8:30 a.m. Mass Jan. 14 that he had recently received a letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments which decreed that the building would be a minor basilica. The parishioners broke into applause at the news.
The Basilica of Saint Mary is located in Alexandria, Va., fewer than 10 miles south of Arlington.