WDTPRS – 18 November: Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and of St. Paul

An old photo for this blog, but a good one.  Shot from my old apartment.

In the traditional calendar, it is the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter, in the Vatican, in 1626 and St. Paul, on the Via Ostiense, in 1854.

The history of these basilicas is rich and complex.  According to a letter of a priest named Caius shows that since the 2nd century there were monuments built over the tombs of the Apostles and that Peter and Paul were held to be the foundation stones of the Roman Church.  Constantine build great domus regales and encased the tombs in metal and placed on them crosses of gold weighing 150 pounds.   By the time of Pope Hormisdas, the only access people had to the tombs were hole through which they could pass cloth to touch to them. In 386 Paul’s Basilica was massively increased because of the huge crowds of pilgrims.  Eventually, many Masses a day were celebrated in both basilicas, each at different altars.  When Alaric sacked Rome in 410, he sent a message to the terrified people that they could have sanctuary in the two basilicas.  St. Jerome recounts that St. Marcella fled the Aventine Hill for St. Paul’s, “to find there either a refuge or a grave”.

Cardinal Schuster comments:

So by the wonderful dispensation of Providence it came to pass that the Catholic Church celebrates annually the dedication of the four patriarchal Basilicas at Rome, that of the Saviour, of St Peter, St Paul and St Mary Major. As each diocese commemorates the encaenia of its own cathedral, so the whole Catholic world celebrates annually the dedication of the fourfold Papal cathedral, and this festival is symbolical of the fact that in spite of the limits established to each diocese the Church of Christ is one, and is founded on Peter, who continues to feed his lambs from the seven hills, and to rule over the flock of Christ throughout the earth.

The Basilica of St. Peter has its own Proper for various days of the year. Here is the Collect for today’s Solemnity as celebrated within the Basilica:

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.

How about the Vetus Ordo?   Might there be a difference?

COLLECT:
Deus, qui nobis per síngulos annos huius sancti templi tui consecratiónis réparas diem, et sacris semper mystériis repæséntas incólumes: exáudi preces pópuli tui, et præsta; ut, quisquis hoc templum benefícia petitúrus ingréditur, cuncta se impetrásse lætétur.

LITERAL VERSION:
O God, Who for us bring each year the recurrence of the consecration day of this Your holy temple, and always bring us back safely to the sacred rites, hear the prayers of Your people and grant that whoever enters this temple to pray for blessings, may rejoice in having obtained whatever he sought.

You can sense behind this the practice of visiting churches on the day of their dedication to obtain an indulgence.

Also, that language used, repraesentas incolumes is similar to the prayers for the sick and for the dying when we ask the holy angels bring those who are ill back to the congregation in the church, or successfully to the liturgy of Heaven.

The readings for this feast are from the proper for the Dedication of a Church.

The Gospel is from Luke 19:1-10 in which Christ is at Jericho and he spots short Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree.  Christ goes to his house and says, “Today salvation has come to this house”.

The Epistle is from Rev 21:2-5, which includes the line that, in the Gibson movie of the Passion, chokes me up every time without fail.  The passage is about the vision of the descent of the new, heavenly Jerusalem,

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; ³ and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; ⁴ he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

⁵ And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”