Jun 29, 2021
A conversation with Father Joseph Townsend, the new Parochial Vicar at the Basilica of Saint Mary, is featured on this edition of The Basilica of Saint Mary Podcast.
Listen to episode 101 of the podcast if you'd like to hear Father Joseph's vocation story. That conversation was recorded last summer when he served here as a deacon.
This is the first priestly assignment for Father Joseph. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Michael Burbidge on June 5 at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in Arlington.
Founded in 1795, the Basilica of Saint Mary in Old Town Alexandria is the first Catholic parish established in Virginia. Pope Francis named the church a minor basilica on December 6, 2017 due to its important role in the growth of the Catholic Church in North America.