Our Lady of Perpetual Help

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Our Lady of Perpetual Help was founded at 1893. It was inaugrated as a Basilica on 1st November, 1969. Even though it has been termed as a minor Basilica, it is no short of an accomplishment. To be a Basilica, three requirements need to be fulfilled:

1) It should have an impressive profile. Its presence should be dominant and of grad scale in order to house “The King”

2)It should be the “spiritual hearth” of Catholic families.

3)It should have an important spiritual treasure.

The first requirement for being a Basilica is very evident at the first sight of the church. With its magnificent visual presence, one cannot resist to stand and admire its architecture. The gardens looked appealing and inviting with its green grass, against the perfect white marble of the building, and new blooming flowers.

We entered the church through the side gate. One entering, we were immediately thrown onto a serene trance due to a glass painting of Jesus.(picture below).

Over the years since its establishment, it has a successful remained the main house of worship in the area because if its adaptive nature. The neighborhood has changed in many ways demographically. The church introduced masses in new languages to help new immigrants feel welcome in a strange, foreign land. The church currently follows four languages: English, Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese. This is a perfect example of how religious practices shapes itself with changing demographics.

the Archbishop of the diocese of Brooklyn is normally crowned in OLPH.

really interesting article about the Vietnamese congregation at OLPH.

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