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We are almost to the end of an unusual liturgical year of important feasts replacing several Sundays in Ordinary Time. This coming Sunday, the Feast of Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica trumps the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. It was easy for people to understand why All Souls outranked last Sunday. But the dedication of a building in Rome? The bulletin column below helps explain why. We have received permission for all parishes in the Diocese of Grand Rapids to reprint this text. Be sure to include the copyright information on the bottom. |
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What the Lateran Basilica Represents for Roman Catholics Whenever the ninth of November falls on a Sunday, many churchgoers are surprised to learn that the regular Mass has been replaced by one for the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Christmas, Easter, even All Souls Day we understand. But John Lateran? The feast most nearly resembles Independence Day on the national calendar. It celebrates the freedom to worship and the dedication of a place to gather for worship. Early in the fourth century the persecution of Christians came to a close with the conversion of the emperor Constantine, who granted the followers of Jesus the right to public worship. Constantine offered Pope Sylvester I some property owned by the Lateran family, which became the site of the first Christian basilica-dedicated on Nov. 9, 324. Over time, the church was placed under the patronage of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. The popes lived in a palace adjoining the church which underwent several renovations over the centuries. Several councils were held in the building, including the ones legislating celibacy for priests and communion once a year for the faithful. Even though the popes moved to Avignon, France for a century and eventually to a residence in the Vatican palace adjacent to St. Peter's Square, the Lateran Basilica remains the cathedral church of Rome. When we speak of the pope as bishop of Rome, this is his cathedral, not St. Peter's. Since the pope is the shepherd of the universal church, the Lateran Basilica of St. John is the cathedral church of the world. Each year the dedication of this building is celebrated in every Catholic parish in the world on Nov. 9. It proclaims the original freedom of Christians to worship, the dedication of our ancestors to worship, the perseverance of our faith and the universal nature of our community. By commemorating the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, we pass on that faith to new generations. Copyright © 1997, Resource Publications, Inc. 160 E. Virginia St. #290, San Jose, CA 95112, (408) 286-8505. Reprinted with permission through the Office for Worship, Diocese of Grand Rapids. Father Paul Turner, pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Kansas City, MO, holds a doctorate in sacramental theology from Sant' Anselmo University in Rome.
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