From the Desk of Father John
November 9, 2025
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This week, we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the oldest Catholic basilica in the West, originally dedicated by Pope Sylvester I in AD 324.
It was built on the former site of the Lateran palace in Rome and donated by Emperor Constantine to the Church following the Edict of Milan in AD 313, which Christianized the Roman Empire.
The dedication of this great Christian Basilica marked a turning point for Christianity. Prior to the Edict of Milan, Christianity was persecuted within the Roman Empire. The construction of public churches was outlawed, and Christians were viewed as traitors of the state, often martyred for their faith. The dedication of St. John Lateran was the first time that a public Church was built in the Western Roman Empire. As a result, it is considered the mother of all the Churches in Rome and throughout the world.
Being the first Church to be constructed following the Christianization of the Roman Empire, the Basilica of St. John Lateran became the cathedral of Rome and the seat of the Bishop of Rome. The seat or cathedra of a bishop signifies his role as the chief pastor and successor of the apostles in the territory which he governs. Since the Bishop of Rome oversees the entire Church, his chair at the Basilica of St. John Lateran symbolizes his authority and pastorship over Rome and the entire Church.
We celebrate this feast day today in honor of the history of the Lateran Basilica and to recognize its importance as a symbol of unity within the Catholic Church. It is the cathedral from which the entire Church is governed. Today, may we also reflect on the importance of Church buildings as sacred places of worship. Churches are sacred because they are dedicated specifically to the worship of God. They are places where we come to encounter the Lord of Heaven and earth.
While we honor the sacredness of Churches today, we also call to mind that the greatest temple is not a building built of physical stones but the temple of our own bodies. We have been created in the image and likeness of God, and God has come to dwell within our souls. In Baptism, we become incorporated into the Church, and God comes to dwell within us. St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians mentions, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. ” (1 Cor 6:19-20) Through the gift of the Holy Spirit at our Baptism, we have been made into “living stones” and are members of Christ’s Body, the Church. (CCC 1267) In speaking on the communion of Christ with His Church, the Catholic Catechism mentions, “The comparison of the Church with the body casts light on the intimate bond between Christ and his Church. Not only is she gathered around him; she is united in him, in his body.” (CCC 786) In our Baptism, we are made partakers in this mystical union of Christ with His faithful. We are intimately united with Jesus. In our prayers, worship, and daily actions, may we never forget who we are as sons and daughters of Christ and members of His Church. May we always seek to glorify Him through our bodies.