For Laura Schommer, The Basilica has always been more than a parish. It is a community where friendships have blossomed and where she has lived out her call to serve.

Growing up in Osseo, Laura admired The Basilica from afar. "I always thought it was so beautiful," she recalled. In the late 1980s, she began attending Sunday Mass, drawn in by the homilies of Michael O'Connell. By 1994, she officially became a parishioner, eager to deepen her involvement.

"I didn't know anyone when I joined, so I looked for a way to become part of the community," she said. Teaching full-time meant weekday commitments were difficult, but she found her place in The Basilica's Saturday Shoe Ministry, a program that provided shoes to those in need. That ministry became her calling for decades, later joined by work in the Outreach Ministry until the pandemic.

Laura eventually joined the Legacy Society, a natural step for someone whose life had been shaped by The Basilica. "I have been blessed by God, and I feel a deep obligation to share my resources in gratitude," she explained. For her, the gift is about more than finances - it is about

preserving a community that has given her so much.

"I remain humbled and honored to be

part of The Basilica of Saint Mary," she said. "It is my hope to preserve and strengthen it

so that future generations may experience its beauty, faith, and mission."