The first time I entered this Church I became mesmerized at its magnificent beauty and captivating…read moresite. I felt the greatness and love of God within me. No wonder it didn't take long for it to be granted the special designation of Basilica by Pope Francis in September of 2023.
After being ranked 4th among Yelp's Top 50 Most Prolific Elites of 2025, a distinction recognizing my consistent community engagement and high-quality contributions, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants, businesses, and establishments, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to go back and write follow-up reviews on those places that impressed me the most during 2025, and The the now Basilica of Saint Andrew, located in Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example of one of them.
Going back to this Church after the great honor received from Yelp, made me recall the first time that I visited here. I invite you, after reading this review, to go back and read my first one, and view my photographs accompanying it, because it's one of which I am most proud of, and an experience that I will never forget and forever cherish.
Today, I decided to start celebrating Easter Sunday, by attending their early morning Easter Mass at 7:00am. Since the first time I had visited this Church, God has blessed me immensely. I no longer had to walk there, but this time I drove there in my pearl white Lexus, and parked it in a convenient parking space close to its side door entrance, to avoid walking up the many steps of the front door. Besides this, I liked coming in the side door because there were always friendly members of the congregation there to give you a warm greeting and welcome you in the spirit of Christ. Once inside I stood in front of the alter and bowed my head giving thanks to God because on this day we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion, symbolizing victory over death, forgiveness of sins, and the promise of eternal life.
I went on and sat on the seventh pew which had some open space and was close enough to the altar for me to appreciate the service better. The sound of the organ on the second floor and the singing of the choir joined by the congregation as a whole gave the service a special class and brought you closer to the presence of God. During the service the priest walked around and sprinkled holy water onto the people attending this Special Easter Mass. Among other things, we listened to the scriptures being read and to the priest's sermon, sang along with the choir, resisted the prayers of the Mass, gave each other the sign of peace, and received the Holy Eucharist in Holy Communion which was the highlight of the Mass.
It was a wonderful experience, and even though the Basilica was a beautiful architectural work of art, it was the presence of God in the alter, and the Church which is comprised of the members of the congregation, which made this experience such a magnificent and spiritual one.
