It is a Solemnity in the Sacrosanct Basilica of St. Peter today, for today is the anniversary of its dedication in 1626.
The Basilica has its own Proper for various days of the year. Here is the Collect for today’s Solemnity:
COLLECT:
Deus, qui beati Petri Apostoli dignitatem
praecipue in nostra sacrosancta basilica facis esse gloriosam,
praesta, quaesumus,
ut et doctrina semper ipsius foveamur et meritis.
Dignitas, is "dignity", of course, but also "moral importance" in liturgical prayers. For Apostles, this word is used to underscore their role in the Church precisely as Apostles.
LITERAL VERSION:
O God, who are now making glorious
the dignity of the the blessed Apostle Peter,
especially in our most holy basilica,
grant, we beseech You,
that we may be supported both by his teaching and by his merits.
An old photo for this blog, but a good one.
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But Father! But Father! You left out praecipue in nostra sacrosancta basilica from your literal translation. Been reading too many old ICEL prayers lately?
Yah… about 50 paces outside my door on my way to a meeting of Foster’s 5th, it stuck me that I left that out. Funny how that happens. I was in too much of a hurry to retrace my steps and correct the lacuna. It was exactly like that feeling you have when you realize your keys are still inside just as the door clicks shut.
What if you were to render praecipue as “chiefly” or “principally”? (Is it etymologically related to princeps?) That could significantly alter the sense of the prayer — especially if you retained the Latin phrase-order. You’d end up with something like Who chiefly in our most holy basilica make glorious the dignity…. Sound reasonable?