Pope grants East End church basilica status

Ted Kennedy attended Mass there. So has Vice President Joe Biden, complete with his Secret Service contingent. People from as far as Hawaii and England call the pastor asking to get married there.

Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Roman Catholic Church in Southampton stands out for its central Hamptons location, its beauty and now its designation as the first minor basilica on Long Island.

Pope Benedict XVI approved the status after a request from Bishop William Murphy, who said he wanted to give recognition to the East End because the seat of the diocese is so far away in Rockville Centre.

It is a rare distinction, given to just 70 churches in the United States, including the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington and St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, in Manhattan's NoLita neighborhood. It is granted to churches with historical, spiritual or architectural importance and that have an active faith community, said the Rev. Dan Merz of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.

"It's a great honor for the parish and for the church," said Sacred Hearts' pastor, the Rev. Jeffrey Madley. "It's wonderful for the people because they've kept this church up in good condition for over 100 years."

One longtime parishioner, Peg Jordan, said: "We're thrilled. Just about everybody in the parish is thrilled."

Murphy said that when he was in Rome last month and submitted his request for minor basilica status, the pope approved it in a day.

"I thought it would be a mark of recognition to the Catholics of the East End to have a parish with a distinguished history and a church building of remarkable beauty, well supported by a congregation of faith, receive this title," Murphy said.

The Gothic-style church has a rich history. It was built a century ago partly by wealthy Protestants for their Irish Catholic immigrant servants and gardeners who were threatening to go back to their homeland because they had no nearby church to worship at, Madley said.

Half the names on a plaque inside the church that lists donors who gave more than $100 are Protestants, Madley said, calling the construction "an ecumenical effort."

The church seats 650 and features "irreplaceable" handmade stained-glass windows from Austria, a 400-year-old wooden pulpit imported from France, and gargoyles atop a bell tower, Madley said. It was made with blocks of white marble that were rejected for the New York Public Library because of minor imperfections.

While the church originally was heavily populated by Irish immigrants, Madley said that today, Latino newcomers are increasingly filling the pews. They've gone from about 10 percent to 30 percent of worshippers in a decade and are at the church almost daily for Masses, prayer groups and other activities.

"They feel like it's a cathedral," Madley said. "A lot of them love the size of the church."

The new designation means the church will enjoy certain privileges, such as displaying the official papal symbol of crossed keys and celebrating special feast days linked to the current pontiff, including the anniversary of his election as pope, Merz said.

It will also get a slight name change, as it will be known as the Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. A special Mass will mark the occasion, but no date has been set.

Murphy said he believes the new basilica "will become more and more a place of pilgrimage with people from all over the Island and beyond joining the parishioners in prayer and in the celebration of Mass."