Dear friend in Christ,
Welcome to the Basilica of St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, the mother Church of Volusia County on the eastern seaboard of Florida in the Diocese of Orlando.
From our humble beginnings in 1881 with the first Catholic family in Daytona Beach we have grown to over 1,000 families from many nations, cultures, and backgrounds. As Daytona Beach has grown so have we. We are proud of our Basilica School opened in 1925 with its many graduates who have gone on to successful careers and who serve the Church and community so generously. The first Mass was celebrated in our beautiful Basilica church in 1927. We carry on the sacred traditions of beauty, music, and style in giving the best we have to God in our worship together.
We are the parish home of permanent residents, seasonal residents, college students, and those enjoying a vacation or the many activities and events that happen throughout the year in Daytona Beach, they are all family here!
Our Basilica motto is “A Beacon of Light, an Ocean of Mercy," for Christ is our light, and his mercy is like an ocean, and we are all sinking. There are so many people who are hurting, who are wounded, who are suffering in so many ways, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Through the frequent celebration of the sacraments of healing, including many opportunities to receive the sacrament of reconciliation and our monthly Mass with healing prayers offered during the evening of the second Tuesday each month, and our vibrant ministry to the sick and homebound, we strive to make available the power of Christ’s healing love for everyone.
On Wednesday evenings from 6:00pm-8:00pm we celebrate Christ in the City, when our Beacon of Light, Jesus in the Eucharist, comes to be with us on the altar, where we can be in his presence in Eucharistic Adoration. Many of our parish groups who meet on Wednesday evenings begin their evening in the Basilica in the presence of our Lord before beginning their activities. After all, to be happy is to be close to God.
St. Paul called Christ “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24). These are ways of expressing God’s ongoing activity, reaching out through time and space to encounter us through Jesus Christ in his Church. We are all walking on this journey of faith and encounter together with faith being the road that leads to heaven. So, we are journeying to heaven together in faith enriched by our encounters with Jesus Christ and strengthened in our community life with each other. Whether you are visiting, or newly relocated to the area, a cradle Catholic who has lived here your whole life, or someone who is interested in learning more about the Catholic faith, we are here for you, Christ is here for you.
On behalf of our clergy, staff, many lay ministers, volunteers, and parishioners, we welcome you and hope this website will be helpful to discovering the rich and vibrant life of faith, that is the community of the Basilica of St. Paul.
May all you do, be done in love! (1 Cor 16:14)
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Reverend Kenneth J. Gill
Rector