Today is August 5, the Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
We read at today’s Mass, “People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed” (Mt 14:35-36).
Today we celebrate one of the most beloved churches in all of Rome: the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Why mark the dedication of a church with a liturgical feast? Because this basilica is no ordinary building. It stands as a living sign of the Church’s love for the Virgin Mary, and it has long been a place where pilgrims come to experience her intercession.
Many of you will have heard of this basilica recently because it now serves as the final resting place of Pope Francis. His tomb lies between the Eucharistic adoration chapel and the icon of Salus Populi Romani — a location that beautifully reflects his devotion to both the Eucharist and Our Lady. That very icon of Mary was carried through the streets of Rome during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming a symbol of hope and protection for a suffering world.
Leading us to her son
St. Mary Major is rich in history: It houses relics believed to be from the manger of Christ, a treasure that once made it the closest St. Ignatius Loyola could get to the Holy Land amid war. It’s also the burial site of Pope St. Pius V, the great Dominican reformer (and the patron of the first parish where I served in Providence, Rhode Island). The basilica was also originally built on the site of a miraculous summer snowfall, a sign of grace gently falling from heaven through Mary’s intercession.
All of this reminds us of something essential: Mary is always leading us to her Son. As the crowds in the Gospel reached out just to touch the fringe of Jesus’ cloak, so too we come to Mary, asking her to lead us to the healing and mercy of Christ.
Pope Francis once quoted a beautiful prayer from St. Cyril of Alexandria in a homily for today’s feast: “Hail Mary, Virgin Mother of God, Light-bearer, incorrupt vessel. Hail, O Virgin Mary, Mother and Handmaid, Virgin for the sake of Him who was born from you, Mother for the sake of Him whom you carried in your arms. Hail Mary, you are the most precious creature in the whole world, indistinguishable lamp, for from you was born the Son of Justice.” Today, let us turn to her in prayer: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.
Let us pray,
Pardon the faults of your servants, we pray, O Lord, that we, who cannot please you by our own deeds, may be saved through the intercession of the Mother of your Son and our Lord. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
