The Dedication of the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour (St. John Lateran)
In Dedicatione Archibasilicae Sanctissimi Salvatoris
This feast commemorates the dedication of the Lateran Basilica at Rome, the cathedral of the Pope and the mother and head of all the churches of the city and of the world.
On the ninth of November the Church keeps the feast of the Dedication of the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour, commonly known as Saint John Lateran. This great church, raised in the early fourth century in the days of the Emperor Constantine, after the peace given to the Church, is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. It bears upon its front the ancient title that proclaims its dignity: the mother and head of all the churches of the city and of the world.
The mother of churches
The Lateran Basilica was the first great church to be built publicly when the long ages of persecution had ended, and it has remained through the centuries the seat of the Roman Pontiff as Bishop of Rome. Dedicated to our Saviour, and later associated also with Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist, it has been the scene of many councils and solemn acts of the Church. Though damaged and restored more than once across the centuries, it has always been rebuilt and reconsecrated, and it holds a place of honour above every other church of the Latin rite.
The Church keeps the dedication of this basilica as a feast not merely of a building of stone, but of the mystery which the church building signifies. For every consecrated church is an image of the Church herself, the living temple built of the faithful, of whom Christ is the cornerstone; and the dedication of the Lateran, the mother church of Christendom, is honoured as a sign of the unity of all the faithful gathered around the See of Peter. In rejoicing at the dedication of this holy temple, the Church gives thanks for the house of God on earth and lifts her heart toward the heavenly Jerusalem, the dwelling of God with men.
The feast
The keeping of this dedication grew from a feast of the city of Rome into an observance of the whole Western Church, a mark of the reverence and love of the faithful for the cathedral of the Pope. It is celebrated in the white vestments of joy, as befits the dedication of a house of God.
The collect of the feast recalls that God year by year renews for us the day of the consecration of this holy temple, and prays that all who enter it to ask his benefits may rejoice to have obtained their requests. In honouring the dedication of the Lateran, the Church honours the dwelling-place of God among his people and the bond of unity that joins the faithful to the See of Rome.
The Collect
O God, who dost year by year renew for us the day of the consecration of this thy holy temple, and dost ever bring us again in safety to the holy mysteries: hear the prayers of thy people, and grant that whosoever shall enter this temple to ask thy benefits may rejoice to have obtained all his petitions.
Deus, qui nobis per síngulos annos huius sancti templi tui consecratiónis réparas diem, et sacris semper mystériis repræsentás incólumes: exáudi preces pópuli tui, et præsta; ut quisquis hoc templum benefícia petitúrus ingréditur, cuncta se impetrásse lætétur.
Patronage
The feast honours the Lateran Basilica, the cathedral of the Pope and the mother church of all Christendom.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar this feast is observed on the same day, 9 November, as a Feast of the Lord.
Common Questions
When is the feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran?
It is kept on 9 November in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Second Class feast, and likewise on 9 November in the modern calendar, where it is observed as a Feast of the Lord. The date is unchanged.
What is the Lateran Basilica?
The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour, known as Saint John Lateran, is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. Raised in the early fourth century after the peace given to the Church, it is the mother and head of all the churches of the city of Rome and of the world, and the seat of the Pope as Bishop of Rome.
Why does the Church celebrate the dedication of a church building?
The dedication of a church is kept as a feast because every consecrated church signifies the Church herself, the living temple built of the faithful with Christ as the cornerstone. The dedication of the Lateran, the mother church of Christendom, is honoured as a sign of the unity of all the faithful around the See of Peter and of the dwelling of God among his people.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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