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Online GivingEvery time we come across a feast day for the dedication of a church, we might be tempted to tune out and yawn. What’s all the fuss about buildings? Doesn’t the Bible tell us repeatedly not to focus on the external, the material, and the riches of this world? Aren’t we supposed to be about forming hearts and saving souls? Shouldn’t we focus on the Church rather than a church?
If the Church has proclaimed this day a feast, then it must have some great significance, so let’s find it. The Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. In other words, St. Peter’s in Vatican City is not the Pope’s home church. His cathedra, his bishop’s seat, is found at St. John Lateran. This basilica was built on terrain donated by Emperor Constantine and celebrated the freedom of worship granted by the Edict of Milan. Obviously, this isn’t just any old church!
Originally this feast was only celebrated in Rome, but in 1726, it was placed on the worldwide calendar. This building holds special significance, reminding Catholics of the courage of the early Christians who fought for freedom of religion and the unity of the universal Church with the Holy See.
Bringing it a little closer to home, this feast could also be a reminder to us of the respect due to our own parish church. Do we see it as a place of honor, reverence, and community worship? Do we dress, act, and keep silence in an appropriate way, considering we are in the physical presence of Almighty God? Do we offer ourselves together with Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice, uniting ourselves with Catholics throughout the world?
May we celebrate our universal Church on Sunday, and may we thank God for all of the churches that have been built and dedicated to allow us a space to worship freely. Maybe we should make a fuss about these beautiful buildings after all. – Tami Urcia, Diocesan Publications
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) – November 13
Burly longshoremen glared at the woman in widow’s dress who interrupted their drinking to beg money, in broken English, for her orphanage. The bar exploded in laughter as one man responded by spitting in her face. “That was for me,” the woman smiled. “Do you have anything for the children?” Given today’s national debate, could it be as much God’s sense of humor as God’s will for our sanctification that our first “American” saint should be an immigrant and naturalized citizen? Frances Cabrini, adopting the name “Xavier,” confided to Pope Leo XIII her longing to follow her Jesuit patron to Asia. But the Pope replied, “Not East—West!” So, she and her Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart exchanged exotic dreams of China for the impoverished reality of Italian ghettos across the United States and Central and South America. Before her death, Frances had founded seventy educational, health care, child, and family service institutions. Today, from Siberia to Ethiopia, in sixteen countries, Mother Cabrini’s sisters and lay associates embody her practical spirituality: “Let’s get to work! We’ll have eternity to rest!”
—Peter Scagnelli, Diocesan Publications
