Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul The first St. Peter’s Church, built in 1872 where the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul now stands, measured 32 feet across its nave and ran lengthwise 116 feet along Bartlett Street. It had a seating capacity of 800. As waves of French Canadians came over Maine’s […]

Despite the knowledge that the lower church would eventually be topped by a more grand upper church, church leaders and designers took great pride and care in creating a beautiful atmosphere worthy of God’s presence in the lower church.  Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul In 1845, 19-year-old Israel Shevenell left Compton, Quebec, […]

Head Sacristan Mark Labonte looks through one of the holy books used at Masses that are kept in the sacristy at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston. Before each Mass, Labonte opens the books to the appropriate passages that will be read. Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul If you […]

The high altar at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston is unique and considered one of the most beautiful in the region. ‘The grandest in this area’: The high altar When you enter the Basilica, your eye is naturally drawn to the front of the church and to the area of the […]

Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul LEWISTON — Watch maintenance supervisor Dave Cyr flipping through a computer screen that shows him data about nearly every room in the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul and it’s easy to think he’s eyeing a streamlined, modern system. He can see the temperature and humidity level […]

Celebrate the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Few people have been in the cellar and sub-cellar of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, an underground area that head sacristan Mark Labonte jokingly referred to as “the dungeon,” but it’s a fascinating tour into the church’s history. The dim, unfinished space, under portions of […]

The Basilica’s wooden saints While construction of the Basilica was officially completed and the magnificent structure open for parishioners in 1938, changes and enhancements to the church were made almost from the very beginning.  For example, the stained-glass windows appear to be part of the original construction, but only the Malo window at the rear […]

Celebrating the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul This past Tuesday, Aug. 8, was the feast day of Saint Dominic. Dominic established the Dominican order by the authority of Pope Honorius III in 1216, he was canonized as a saint in 1234, and the Order of Preachers remains active around the world today more than […]