Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran

“Mother and Head”

Livioandronico2013 CC

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

“Behold God's dwelling with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people,
and God himself with them will be their God.”—Entrance antiphon for the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran

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.