The image was honored on May 24, 1952, by the addition of two diamond-studded crowns attached to it, which had been personally blessed by Pope Pius XII in Rome when they were presented to him in a special audience by Cioffi and the jeweler, Mr. DeNatale. Just eight days after the coronation of the image, the crowns were found to have been stolen. People flocked to the church to pray for their safe return. The number of visitors was estimated at the time to have reached some 12,000 people. The crowns were returned a week later through the postal system. The people of the parish have always held this to have been a miracle. The jewels were allegedly returned at the behest of local organized crime figure Joseph Profaci. Over the decades the population of the neighborhood surrounding the church has undergone a marked change, with new immigrant groups, primarily from Latin America and Asia, replacing the original Italian residents. Today Mass is offered at the church not only in English but in Spanish and Chinese. In 2011 the Bishop of Brooklyn, Nicholas DiMarzio, made a request of the Congregation for Divine Worship in the Vatican that the church be honored by designation as a basilica. In November 2012, while the New York City region was recovering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy, the bishop received notice that the Holy See had approved this request. A Mass to mark this honor was celebrated at the church on December 8, 2012, presided over by the bishop.