for the readings of today's mass, go to:
On August 5th the church celebrates one of the 4 major or great basilic churches of the world, St. Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore in Italian) in Rome. FYI, the other 3, St. Peter's, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul's outside the Walls, are also in Rome
This basilica church was named after the decision of the Council of Ephesus in 435 AD, in which Mary was named as Theotokos, the Mother of God. It is the oldest and largest church in Rome that is dedicated to our Blessed Mother.
For any Catholic going to Rome, it is essential that one visits this church. On this feast day of the Basilica church, flower petals are dropped from its ceiling to recall the legend of Our Lady of the Snow. The Basilica of St. Mary Major is also the site of an important commemoration of Christmas in Rome because of its famous nativity scene, which contains a relic from the manger of Bethlehem.
On this day in Canada, we also honour a Franciscan priest named Blessed Frederic Janssoone, who was born in France in 1838. After being forced to leave the seminary due to the financial difficulties of his family, he became a successful travelling salesman of textiles. After his mother's death, he re-entered the seminary and was ordained in 1870.
After his ordination, this remarkable man had many fascinating tasks, including serving as a military chaplain during the Franco-Prussian War, and later in the Holy Land where he negotiated custodial rights in Jerusalem and Bethlehem between the Franciscans, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox. He also helped to re-establish the practice of the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem. His preaching skills eventually brought him to Quebec, where he also helped to develop the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary, better know as Notre-Dame-du-Cap, near Trois Rivieres. He died in Montreal in 1916 and was beatified in 1988.
The story of the church is a fascinating one, including the building of churches and the stories of men and women of faith. Today we honour a great church and a great man.