The church Notre-Dame de Boulogne, located in Boulogne-Billancourt, in the Île-de-France region, France, will soon be elevated to the rank of minor basilica, following the decree signed in Rome on behalf of Pope Francis on June 29.

The canonical erection Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, January 12, 2025, at the beginning of the Holy Year of the Universal Church. It will be presided over by Monsignor Matthieu Rougé, Bishop of Nanterre, in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio to France, Monsignor Celestino Migliore. The parish priest, Father Roger Villegas, L.C., assumes the role of rector of the basilica.

Last March, Monsignor Rougé presented this proposal to the French Episcopal Conference, gathered in Plenary Assembly. After validation, a file was created for the application and sent to the competent Roman Dicastery. Participating in these efforts were Father Roger Villegas, L.C. (parish priest), Monsignor Yvon Aybram, Episcopal Vicar of the Diocese of Nanterre and in charge of diocesan shrines, as well as representatives from the municipality of Boulogne-Billancourt.

“The day after the signing of the decree of elevation in Rome, we received the good news,” declared Father Rogelio Villegas. “That day, we celebrated the diaconal ordination of Jérôme Dejoie, a member of our Legionaries of Christ community. It was a beautiful sign from the Lord that confirmed the primary vocation of our parish – sanctuary and pilgrimage site – and the mission of our religious community, particularly linked to Petrine ministry.”

Restoring the church’s vocation as a “diocesan sanctuary”: the first basilica of the Diocese of Nanterre
Notre-Dame de Boulogne becomes the 176th church honored with the title of basilica in France. “It is a joy for the entire Île-de-France Church,” shares the diocese that had been hoping, since 2020, for Notre-Dame de Boulogne to regain its original vocation as a diocesan sanctuary.

The church is a very ancient Marian sanctuary. The first pilgrimages, dating back to 1304, were as significant as the Camino de Santiago. “This church is not only a place of worship. It is also a Marian sanctuary, a lighthouse where tenderness and faith are transmitted,” stated Monsignor Matthieu Rougé in 2019, on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the founding of Notre-Dame de Boulogne.

Notre-Dame de Boulogne: promoting a missionary culture
During the episcopate of Monsignor Gérard Daucourt, Bishop of Nanterre from 2002 to 2013, Notre-Dame de Boulogne was promoted as one of the five sanctuaries of the Diocese of Nanterre with the goal of renewing the missionary impulse of the Church. Now, the function of this sanctuary is to serve as a center of evangelization and to shine not only for pilgrim faithful but also for residents of municipalities and neighborhoods. The aim was to return the parish to the “center of the town” as “a source where residents could constantly recharge their batteries,” in the words of Saint John XXIII, who arrived as a pilgrim at Notre-Dame de Boulogne-sur-Seine when he was Apostolic Nuncio in Paris.

Translation into Spanish of the original article in French published by the news agency ZENIT.

Photographic credits: Notre-Dame de Boulogne social media

 

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