The Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran

The meaning of the celebration

+ Today the Universal Church celebrates the anniversary of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint John “on the Lateran,” the cathedral church of Rome.

+ Originally the palace of the Laterani Family, the building was given to emperor Constantine who, in turn, gave the palace to the bishop of Rome. Constantine also oversaw the construction of a basilica dedicated to “Our Savior” and baptistry. Although the exact date is unknown, scholars think it happened sometimes during the reign of Pope Saint Meltiades (311-314). Over the centuries, the cathedral church was also dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist.

+ The present archbasilica is the result of several building and restoration campaigns that expanded the original church.

+ According to an inscription placed on the church by Pope Clement XII, this church is “Mother and Head of all the churches of the City [of Rome] and the world.” The annual commemoration of its consecration was included in the missal approved by Pope Saint Pius V in 1570 and has been celebrated throughout the Church since that time.

+ This feast reminds us that each of us is united with the Church of Rome by special bonds of fidelity and obedience. The mother-church of Rome is also our mother and our spiritual home.

For prayer and reflection

“Each time we celebrate the dedication of a church, an essential truth is recalled: the physical temple made of brick and mortar is a sign of the living Church serving in history, that is to say, of that “spiritual temple”, as the Apostle Peter says, in which Christ himself is the ‘living stone, rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen and precious’ (1 Pt 2:4)… Through the power of Baptism, every Christian takes part in “God’s building” (1 Cor 3:9), indeed they become the Church of God. The spiritual structure, the Church community of mankind sanctified by the Blood of Christ and by Spirit of the Risen Lord, asks each one of us to be consistent with the gift of the faith and to undertake a journey of Christian witness.”—Pope Francis

Prayer

O God,
who from living and chosen stones
prepare an eternal dwelling for your majesty,
increase in your Church the spirit of grace you have bestowed,
so that by new growth your faithful people
may build up the heavenly Jerusalem.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.