Episode 210 - A conversation with Father Joseph Townsend

<p>A conversation with Father Joseph Townsend, the new Parochial Vicar at the Basilica of Saint Mary, is featured on this edition of <em>The Basilica of Saint Mary Podcast</em>. </p> <p>Listen to <a href= "https://stmaryoldtown.org/Joe-townsend-podcast"><strong>episode 101 of the podcast</strong></a> if you'd like to hear Father Joseph's vocation story. That conversation was recorded last summer when he served here as a deacon.</p> <p>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.</p> <p><em>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.</em></p>