November 8 and November 9

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

From Deacon Dick~

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

          Today we celebrate this Feast Day on a Sunday and, therefore, it takes precedence over the 32nd Sunday inordinary Time.

          This Basilica was dedicated as the Cathedral Church of Rome, on land owned by the Laterani family, by Pope St. Sylvester I on November 9, 324.  It is honored as the episcopal seat of the pope as Bishop of Rome.  According to an inscription which Pope Clement XII (1730-1740) placed there, this church is the “mother and head of all churches in Rome and the world.”  It has been the residence of popes from the 4^th century until the pope moved to Avignon in 1309.  It has been the site of five ecumenical councils.  Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646.  Beneath its high altar rests the remains of a small wooden table on which, according to tradition, St. Peter celebrated Mass.  It is dedicated primarily to Christ The Savior and, secondarily to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. 

Let us rejoice and be glad!