Wednesday Station Church - St. Mary Major

Saint Mary Major is one of the four major basilicas and the oldest church in the West dedicated to the Mother of God. In 353, a noble Roman received a message from our Lady that a church dedicated to her honor should be built on the Esquiline Hill. When he told Pope Liberius (353-366), the Holy Father asked for a sign. The next day, August 5th, it snowed on the spot designated by our Lady (August is unbearably hot in Rome). (To this day, August 5th is celebrated as Our Lady of Snows and white rose pedals are showered upon those who enter the church for prayer.) The building was dedicated by Pope Sixtus III (432-440) shortly after the Council of Ephesus, which declared Mary as the theotokos - the Mother of God (431). The photo is of the Pauline chapel (after Pope Paul V), which was built to house the ancient icon of Mary, which hangs over the altar. (Note the luminous tabernacle!)

It also contains a relic said to be of the true crib .... which is the second picture.
This day, the Wednesday of the first week of Lent, is the traditional day for scrutiny of the candidates for priesthood.

Station Church - Monday, Februrary 28

San Pietro in Vincoli. Saint Peter in Chains. This basilica in 109 by Theodora, a pious Roman lady, to house the chains which bound Saint Peter in the Mamertine prison. In 436, Eudocia, who husband was Theodocius II, Emperor of the East (408-450), sent the chains which bound Saint Peter in Jerusalem to her daughter, Euxodia Zicinia, in Rome. When Sixtus III (432-440) placed these two chains side by side, they miraculously united to form one chain. The chains are located in the confessio before the high altar for the faithful to venerate (see photo). Also under the altar are the remains of the seven Maccabee brothers (2 Macc 7). Also in this church is the famed Moses, sculpted by Michelangelo (1515), as part of a tomb for the famed Renaissance pope, Julius II, 1503-1513).

Week Four in Review

• Tour of Santa Croce & Basilica of St. John Lateran
• The Theology of Preaching - Fr. Michael Monshau, OP 
• Ash Wednesday - Santa Sabina, First Stational Church
• Normative & Axiological Ethics & Conscience Development
• The Art of Reading the Bible for Preaching
• Moral Theology & Intro into Biomedical Ethics

Church of Sts. John and Paul

Santi Giovanni e Paulo. Saints John and Paul were officers of the Imperial Court in Constantinople but returned home to serve Julian "The Apostate" (emperor 331-363). They were asked to prove their fidelity to the empire by renouncing their God in favor of the deities of the State. They refused and were beheaded in their home on 26 June 362. A church was built over the site of their home in 398. It was rebuilt several times and is now one of the finest baroque churches in Rome and home to the Passionists. In fact, St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1755) is buried here. It was the titular church of Pius XII and New York Cardinals Spellman, Cooke, O'Connor, and now has Cardinal Egan as protector.

Today's Station Church is San Giorgio in Velabro. The ancient church already existed in the 5th century. In the 7th century, it was dedicated to Saint Sebastian, the Roman soldier who was martyred by Diocletian (297-305). It was made a Station Church by Pope Gregory II (715-731). Pope Saint Zachary (741-752) brought the head of Saint George here and made him a co-patron of the church. The relic is now under the altar. Saint George, the famed "dragon slayer", like Saint Sebastian, was a soldier martyred during the Diocletian persecution (284-305). He died in Cappadocia (Turkey).

The fresco in the apse is of Christ in the center flanked by the Blessed Mother and Saint George on his right and Saints Peter and Sebastian on his left. The Church was once under the patronage of Cardinal Newman. It was bombed in 1993 by the Mafia after the Holy Father spoke out against them. It was then restored.

And so it begins ....

Each year, the North American College follows the ancient tradition of the Roman stational liturgy. From as early as the third century, the Church of Rome observed the season of Lent by journeying each day while singing the litanies of the Saints to a "Station Church" or one of the ancient and prominent churches of Rome. Here the Bishop of Rome, the Holy Father, would lead the people in prayer as they honored the eary martyrs of Rome. The relics of the saints are exposed on this day and the Mass is celebrated. It is a pilgrimage of faith, a symbol of unity, and an incentive for us all to adhere more fully to the Gospel.

In the sixth century, Pope Gregory the Great designated it as a Lenten practice. Unfortunately, the custom ceased during the Avignon papacy in 1305 but interest was revived by Saint Leo XIII at the turn of the 20th century. Blessed John XXIII fully restored the custom in 1959 and it continues to this day.The tradition started in order to strengthen the sense of community within the Church in Rome, as this system meant that the Holy Father would visit each part of the city and celebrate Mass with the congregation.


We began Lent at the Church of St. Sabina. Today, from the earliest times, the Mass is celebrated in the Church of Santa Sabina, "The gem of the Aventine", and home of the Dominicans. Santa Sabina was one of a group of martyrs who shed her blood for our faith during the Vesparian persecutions (69-79).

At 5:00 in the evening on Ash Wednesday, the Holy Father will came to open Lent with Mass. I was able to secure an admission ticket for this event.  In a very simple and prayerful liturgy, he reminded us all that the journey of Lent is really a journey to the Lord.

And so it begins ....

Our day began with a trip to Santa Croce (the church of the Holy Cross) and then to the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Church historians of the 4th and 5th centuries record that while visiting Jerusalem, Helena, the mother of Constantine, who died in 326, found on Calvary the wood of the cross on which Christ was crucified.  It was discovered while work was in progress on constructing the two basilicas at Calvary.  Helena left part of the cross in Jerusalem, sent part of it to Constantinople, and took the rest to Rome, with other relics of the Passion, as well as some earth from Calvary.  These relics were buried for over 1000 years in the wall of the chapel dedicated to St. Helena and later transferred to the chapel where they are now venerated.  In 1997, they were again transferred to the marble tabernacle which is now on the altar of the side chapel.


It was then a short bus ride to the Church of St. John Lateran.  This church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and where the Pope presides when he is functioning as the bishop of his Diocese. The full name of the church is: The Basilica of Jesus the Savior, St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. The facade is a 16th Century addition to a front that had been only brick for centuries. This church, like many other early churches has been rebuilt a few times. This one is important because it is the very first building to be built specifically for the worship by the Christians. Built by the emperor Constantine in the 4th Century, the church that we see today stands on the exact spot and with the exact dimensions of Constantine's first basilica.
Our first part of the visit was to the Baptistery which is a detached building, as are a great many baptisteries in Europe. This Baptistery was built on the sight of a praetorium of the Roman army. You may recognize that word from the reading of the passion of Jesus in the Gospels on Palm Sunday. The praetorium was essentially the barracks of the soldiers. Part of the barracks usually included a bath house so the soldiers would not be with the general public in the many baths around the city. The Baptistry of the cathedral is built directly over the soldier's bathouse - most likely because it had a readily available source of water.