August 5: Our Lady of the Snows

When we usually talk about devotion to the Blessed Mother under a particular title, there is a link to one of her qualities (Queen of Peace or Mother of Mercy) or to one of her apparitions (Our Lady of Lourdes or Our Lady of Fatima etc). Devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Snows is one of the oldest Marian devotions. It has ties to the legend about a miraculous snowfall in Rome in 352 A.D. The Blessed Mother had indicated in a dream to a wealthy, childless Roman couple that she wanted a church built in her honor and the site for this church would be covered with snow. On a hot, sultry morning on August 5, Esquiline Hill was covered with snow. And all of Rome proclaimed the summer snows a miracle! A church to honor Mary was built on the hill in 358 A.D. The Church was restored and refurbished many times, and this church, now the magnificent Basilica of St. Mary Major, still stands today as the seat of devotion to Our Lady of the Snows. The feast is closely associated with the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. You can learn more about this feast day from the Patron Saints Index.

Take a Tour of the Basilica of St. John Lateran!

Hat tip to Deacon Greg on this one! If you can't make it to Rome you can still take a tour of St. John Lateran! Check out the link!

Dedication the Basilica of St. John Lateran

This last year's video from the Apostleship of Prayer on today's Feast.

Restoring St. Patrick's

Basilica of Mary Help of Christians

Chapel Built on a Rock in Allenspark, Colorado

Le Mont Saint-Michel

Catholic Church Architecture Part 10 of 10: Vatican II

Catholic Church Architecture Part 9 of 10: Heaven and Architecture

Catholic Church Architecture Part 8 of 10: Rediscovering Liturgical Images

Catholic Church Architecture Part 7 of 10: Sacred Images

Catholic Church Architecture Part 6 of 10 Columns

Catholic Church Architecture Part 5 of 10 Decoration and Ornament

Catholic Church Architecture Part 4 of 10: The Classical Tradition

Catholic Church Architecture Part 3 of 10

Catholic Church Architecture Part 2 of 10

Catholic Church Architecture Part 1 of 10: Architectural Theology

Take a Virtual Tour of St. John Lateran

If you would like to make a virtual tour of the central Church of Christendom... Please click here!

A New Cathedral for the South!

The following comes from the CNA:

The Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina plans to build a new 2,000-seat cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge announced Sept.7.

The announcement is a “monumental and historic moment in the life of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh and the state of North Carolina,” the bishop said.

The proposed cathedral campus is on a 39-acre tract of land adjacent to Western Boulevard and Centennial Parkway. The property is a remnant of 400 acres purchased in 1897 by Fr. Thomas F. Price, the “Tar Heel Apostle” who was the first native North Carolinian to be ordained a Catholic priest. He established an orphanage on the site called the Nazareth Community.

Bishop Burbidge said that the planned cathedral’s name commemorates the name of the chapel Fr. Price established at the site.

“It is fitting that the name of our new cathedral is the Holy Name of Jesus,” he remarked.

The location presently hosts the Catholic Center administration building and a smaller office building.

The diocese has contracted with the Washington, D.C. architect James McCrery to develop the cathedral design and to propose the most effective use for planned additions and other potential developments at the site.

The conceptual design for the cathedral is classical in style. Artistic renderings for the cathedral campus also show a two-story gathering hall and a parking facility that is both above and below ground. Bishop Burbidge said that in additional to being the “mother church of the diocese,” he hopes the campus will become a cultural venue, hosting sacred music concerts and lecture series.

The estimated cost of the cathedral campus is $75 to $90 million. The diocese said the project has received $10 million in pledges from a small group of donors in a short period of time.

The Diocese of Raleigh, which covers 54 eastern counties of North Carolina, said the continuing growth of the Catholic population prompted the need for a new cathedral. Between 2000 and 2010, the Catholic population increased about 42 percent from about 152,493 to 217,125 registered Catholics. The diocese estimates at least another 200,000 Catholics, mostly of Hispanic origin, are not registered with a parish.

The diocese’s current Sacred Heart Cathedral, located two blocks from the State Capitol, only has a seating capacity for 320 people, making it one of the smallest in the country.

After the new cathedral is dedicated, Sacred Heart Church will be “retained and honored” as the first cathedral of the diocese. It will continue to serve as “a vibrant part of the sacramental life of the diocese,” the diocese said.

Bishop Burbidge anticipates that the groundbreaking for the new Cathedral Campus will take place in mid-2013.

The Diocese of Raleigh has created a website for the new cathedral at http://www.holynamecathedralnc.org.

Pope Benedict: Beautiful Churches a Sign of God's Presence

The following comes from Zenit.org:

Benedict XVI says that beautiful cathedrals and abbeys are "striking signs" of God's presence on earth, and he is inviting the faithful to share the ideal of those who built them.

The Pope made this invitation today when he addressed French-speaking pilgrims who had gathered at the summer papal residence to pray the midday Angelus.

The Holy Father referred to the time of vacation as a moment "for cultural and spiritual enrichment."

"Through the innumerable places and monuments that you visit, you can discover the beauty of that universal patrimony that refers us to our roots," he suggested.

The Pope made this invitation: "Be attentive in allowing yourselves to be swept up by the beautiful ideal that inspired the builders of cathedrals and abbeys, when they built these striking signs of the presence of God on our earth. May that ideal become yours and may the Holy Spirit, who sees the depth of hearts, inspire you to pray in these places, rendering thanks and interceding for humanity of the third millennium!"