Basilica of Regina Pacis

A Photo-Essay on the Mother Church of Brooklyn’s Italians

Basilica of Regina Pacis is on 65th Street and 12th Avenue in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn in New York City.

Historically thought of as the mother church of Italian immigrants in the Diocese of Brooklyn, Basilica of Regina Pacis has its origins in the earlier, smaller church of the St. Rosalia Parish. At the request of Pastor Msgr. Angelo Cioffi on the Second Sunday of May 1942, St. Rosalia parishioners made a plea to Our Lady for the safe return of servicemen from World War II, vowing to build a grand church in Her honor as the Queen of Peace (Regina Pacis). The new, Italian Renaissance Revival edifice was eventually completed and dedicated on August 15, 1951, at a cost of $2 million after three years of construction.

The facade of the Basilica as seen from the north across 65th Street. The engraved 1949 Cornerstone at the bottom of the Tower contains special items of the time: Coins from 1949, The Tablet, the St. Rosalia Parish bulletin, Medals of Pope Pius XII and Our Lady Regina Pacis, as well as copies of the 1949 Annuario Pontificio, the Catholic directory of New York, and the Italian-language Catholic newspaper Il Crociato.

The facade as seen from the edge of the sidewalk.

During the construction of the new edifice in 1949, Msgr. Cioffi further asked parishioners to donate their jewelry to make Crowns for the Regina Pacis Painting that would surmount the High Altar. The jewelry collected was passed on to the DeNatale Brothers, who spent three years forging two diamond-studded, 18-carat gold Crowns for the Blessed Virgin and Child Jesus. In January 1952, Msgr. Cioffi brought the Crowns to Rome, where they were personally blessed by Pope Pius XII.

The Nave of the upper Basilica.

Two perspectives on the barrel-vaulted ceiling of the Nave. The Central Mural by Ignacio LaRussa, 60 feet long and 27 feet wide, took three years to complete. It depicts the Coronation of Our Lady Regina Pacis in Heaven.

Left & Right: The eastern and western walls of the Nave. The stained glassed windows are a combined 1200 square feet, designed by a studio in Clifton, New Jersey that used glass imported from all over Europe. Every window represents a title of the Blessed Virgin from the Litany of Loreto, such as Queen of Apostles and Queen of Martyrs.

Left: The Apse at the midpoint of the eastern wall. Right: The Apse at the midpoint of the western wall.

Left: The Altars along the eastern wall of the Transept. Right: The Altars along the western wall of the Transept.

The coronation at Regina Pacis was held in May 1952, but only a week later during a wedding, Father James Russo noticed that a hole had been cut into the gate protecting the Painting, with the security system deactivated and the Crowns stolen. The theft became a national story, but after just eight days, a package arrived at the Rectory containing the Crowns, which were mostly intact. Parishioners immediately held it as a miracle, while an unconfirmed story spread that they were returned at the behest of Giuseppe Profaci, the head of what became known as the Colombo crime family.

The Chancel featuring the High Altar within the projecting High Apse, flanked by dual Pulpits that are conventional to Italian cathedrals.

Left: The Altar of the Sacred Heart on the eastern side of the Chancel. Right: The Altar of St. Joseph on the western side of the Chancel.

The High Altar and Tabernacle in detail. The Painting of Regina Pacis is by Ilario Panzironi, who completed it when he was 93 years old.

The Rose Window and Organ-Choir Loft above the Narthex.

On October 19, 2012, Regina Pacis was elevated to a Minor Basilica by Pope Benedict XVI, with a Solemn Mass inaugurating its elevation occurring on December 8 of the same year. The Parish has experienced demographic changes, no longer predominantly Italian with the growth of Latin American and Asian communities. In line with these communal shifts, on Sundays there are now three Masses held in English and one Mass each in Italian, Spanish, and Chinese.

The Mary Mother of the Unborn Chapel, located one level down from the upper Basilica and dedicated on March 5, 1989 as a place of prayer for loved ones of newborn children, expecting couples, adoptive parents, and children with special needs. It remains the only consecrated site in the Diocese dedicated to the Blessed Virgin under this title.

On November 1, 2015, the new St. Joseph Chapel and Columbarium were dedicated, restoring the former lower Church and providing a dignified space for cinerary urns, the first of its kind in the Diocese. Traditional Catholics have typically rejected cremation, but per Msgr. Ronald Marino, incumbent Basilica Rector and St. Rosalia-Regina Pacis Pastor, what matters is not the cremation but what one does with the remains. Between many Catholics keeping urns without proper Rites in their homes and many others strained by the costs of traditional burials, Msgr. Marino wants the Columbarium to serve as a more affordable alternative that further ensures Catholic tradition is maintained.

Left: The St. Joseph Chapel and Columbarium, located two levels down from the upper Basilica and dimensionally identical to it. The Chapel features a statue of St. Joseph holding Child Jesus, a Fountain symbolizing the Sacrament of Baptism, and the Columbarium that holds the cremated remains of the faithfully departed. Right: The Fountain in detail, featuring John 3:16 in English, Italian, Spanish, and Chinese.

The Nave of the St. Joseph Chapel, featuring 22 etched glass icons of Saints chosen by parishioners. The Aisles hold two Columbarium sections each, with all four sections featuring stained glass of the Blessed Virgin under the Madonna titles of the four major communal groups in the Parish: Our Lady of Grace, Our Lady of Pompeii, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Our Lady of Asia.

The Chapel Chancel in detail.

A reverse perspective on the St. Joseph Chapel and Columbarium.

Countless parishes have had to face the challenges brought about by shifting demographics and the economic pressures that weigh upon the preservation of tradition. Even with its grand origins and Basilican elevation, Regina Pacis has not been excepted from these challenges. The particular response of the Parish leadership to these issues is emblematic of how pragmatic, thoughtful approaches do not inherently run counter to tradition, but can instead serve it effectively and faithfully.

A reverse perspective on the Nave of the upper Basilica.

These photos were taken on a single day utilizing both a wide angle lens and a standard zoom lens. The photos of the facade were limited by the relative, seasonal path of the Sun, which keeps the Basilica silhouetted. The Columbarium was not featured in detail out of respect for the faithfully departed. Acknowledgment and gratitude go to the Parish for providing elaborate official histories and featured videos that yielded a wealth of information.