Saint of the Day ~ November 9

DEDICATION of the BASILICA of SAINT JOHN LATERAN
(324 A.D.)

Today, the universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, marking the original dedication of the cathedral church of Rome by Pope St. Sylvester I in the year 324 A.D.

This basilica is the oldest and ranks first among the four great “patriarchal” basilicas of Rome. It was originally built when the Roman emperor, Constantine, donated land he had received from the wealthy Laterani family. Over the centuries, it suffered fire, earthquake and the ravages of war, but, for the most part, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated.

Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure to be built in 1646, and is one of Rome’s most imposing churches. This annual celebration is a sign of devotion to and unity with the “Chair of Peter”, which “…presides over the whole assembly of charity”, as Saint Ignatius of Antioch, one of the Apostolic Fathers of the early Church, once wrote.

For more on this Feast and how it relates to each of us as members of the Body of Christ, please see today’s “Meditation for the Day”.

We celebrate this Feastday on November 9.

(From catholicnewsagency.com, americancatholic.org, catholicculture.org and newadvent.org)

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PRAYER

(The following prayer is from the Collect of the Roman Missal for the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran)

“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, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”