OUR MISSION
The Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception is the only African-American Basilica in the United States and the cornerstone of Catholicism in Tidewater. Our mission is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people, regardless of race, language or culture. Nourished by the Eucharist, we seek to accomplish this by drawing on our rich African-American heritage of Spirit-filled worship, Christ-centered service, and fellowship that recalls our common Father. This is our call. This is our mission.
Weekend & Weekday Masses
Sunday Mass 9:00 AM & 12 Noon
Sunday Masses are live-streamed on our Facebook page
You do not have to have a Facebook account in order to view our livestream events.
Weekday Masses on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 12:10 in the Church.
Live Stream
Announcements
Just announced! The Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception has received $150,000 from Preserving Black Churches, a program of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund from the @NationalTrustforHistoricPreservation.
The Basilica is one of 35 organizations in 22 states to receive a total of $4 million in grant funding to advance long-term and sustainable strategies that strengthen stewardship and asset management, interpretation and programming, and fundraising activities for historic Black churches across the country. This program works to uplift the legacy of often-overlooked Black churches, ensuring their capacities to serve the spiritual and social needs of their communities for years to come.
This funding will support the hiring of senior preservation staff to develop and implement the preservation plan, to ensure the on-going stewardship of our recent renovations.
To preserve America’s historic places, the Lilly Endowment Inc. and the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund are investing in a $20 million initiative to help historic Black churches and congregations reimagine, redesign, and deploy historic preservation to address the institutions’ needs and the cultural assets and stories they steward.
To learn more about this program and this year’s grant recipients, visit SavingPlaces.org/BlackChurches.
Holy Days of Obligation
Holy days of obligation are days set aside by the Church when the faithful attend Mass. In addition to Sundays, the days observed as holy days of obligation in the United States are:
- January 1st – Mary, Mother of God
- May 26th – Ascension of Our Lord
- August 15th – Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- November 1st – All Saints
- December 8th – Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mass held on these days will be at 12 Noon and 7:00 pm
- Christmas Eve*: 7pm and Midnight Mass
- Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ:10 am Mass
*not a Holy Day of Obligation
Events
- Feb 5 2023 9:00 am - Knights of Peter Claver Service Award
- Feb 5 2023 9:00 am - Sunday Mass
- Feb 5 2023 10:30 am - Religious Education Classes
Office Hours
Office Address:
1000 Holt Street
Norfolk, VA 23504
Phone: 757-622-4487
Church Address:
232 Chapel Street
Norfolk, VA 23504
Staff
- Ms. Ercelle Drayton, Director of Sustainable Ministry
- Ms. Irene Elliot, Office Assistant
- Mr. Luther Adams, Sexton
- Ms. Nicole Drummond, DRE/Youth Ministry
- Mrs. Oretha Pretlow, Liturgical Coordinator
- Ms. Phyllis Gary, Bookkeeper
- Mr. Sammie Logan, Jr, Director of Liturgical Music
- Mrs. Tia Marvin, Office Manager
Our Basilica News
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Basilica Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/BSMICFacebook
Online Giving: https://bit.ly/
The Basilica of St. Mary
Daily Reading
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Office of Safe Environment
Nazia Shafi - Safe Environment Director
Karen Loper - Victim Assistance Coordinator
Wendy Henderson - Safe Environment Coordinator