"You are God's building."

This Sunday is among the more unique feasts that we celebrate as a Church: the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica. While it may feel a bit strange to have a feast that celebrates a building, there are two reasons why we do. First, this feast, as well as one on Nov. 18, when we celebrate the dedications of the basilicas of St. Peter (the Vatican) and of St. Paul Outside the Walls, and another on August 5, when we celebrate the dedication of St. Mary Major, are reminders of our Roman-ness. These basilicas are the four Major Basilicas in Rome and serve as central points of history and of pilgrimage for Roman Catholic Christians across the world.

The second reason is because St. John Lateran is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome and, therefore, is the cathedral and mother church of all of the Catholic Church. While we often focus on St. Peter's at the Vatican because that is where the pope lives and where most major celebrations of the Church happen, St. John's is historically of greater importance to the governance of the Church. In St. John Lateran is where the cathedra, or episcopal throne, of the pope (the Bishop of Rome) is located, just like Rosary Cathedral contains the cathedra of the Bishop of Toledo.

St. John Lateran was also one of the first major churches of Rome, built on land given to the pope of the time by the emperor Constantine and dedicated in 324 AD. The palaces next to the basilica pre-dated it and served as the papal residence until they were moved to the current papal apartments at the Vatican in the Middle Ages. While St. Peter's gets the brunt of the glory these days because of its massive size and beauty, St. John's is what the Church calls the "Mother Church of all of churches in Rome and in the world" and is the only archbasilica in the world.

So, as we approach this feast, let us not get all wrapped up just in buildings and history, though clearly I did in this writing. Instead, let us focus on what it all represents: the unity of the Church, both historically and as the Body of Christ on earth! Let us pray for Pope Leo XIV and for the Catholic Church across the world, that within it there may be unity and peace! And let us pray for ourselves, that we may continue the mission of the Church here in Toledo, seeking to build up the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Want to prepare your heart and mind for Mass this weekend? Click here to find the readings this Sunday's Mass.