FEAST OF THE  DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF SAINT MARY MAJOR; SAINT EMYGDIUS, BISHOP AND MARTYR AND SAINT OSWALD, KING AND MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY – AUGUST 5TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Dedication of The Church of Our Lady of The Snow), we also celebrate the Memorial of Saint Emygdius, Bishop and Martyr and Saint Oswald, King and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast of Our Lady of the Snow, we humbly pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray against earthquakes and other calamities. We also pray for those going through difficulties especially during these challenging times, for the poor and the needy. And we continue to pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world.🙏🏾

FEAST OF THE  DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF SAINT MARY MAJOR: Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major previously known as Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Nives (Dedication of The Church of Our Lady of The Snow). This is one of the four great Papal Major Basilicas, and the greatest of all the Marian churches and basilicas dedicated to Mary, the Blessed Mother of God. It Commemorates the Dedication of the restored Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, by Pope Sixtus III, just after The First Council of Ephesus. This Major Basilica, located on the summit of The Esquiline Hill, in Rome, Italy, is called the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Latin: Sancta Mariae Majoris) because it is the largest Church in Rome that is Dedicated to The Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast commemorates the miracle of the snowfall that occurred during the night of August 4-5 in the year 358 on the site where the basilica now stands. According to tradition, the miracle, which inspired the construction of the papal Marian basilica, involved a miraculous snowfall in Rome on August 5 in the year 358. The name came from the ancient legend that during the pontificate of Liberius, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to two wealthy childless faithful Roman Christians, patrician John and his wife as well as to Pope Liberius (352-366), asking that a church be built in her honor on the site where snow would fall on the night of August 4-5. The couple had no heirs, they prayed to know how their fortune should be used for God. Our Lady answered them in a dream and asked that a church be built in her honor. As a result, they vowed to give all their possessions to the Virgin Mary, and prayed that she would show them how to dispense of their treasures. She also appeared in a dream to the Holy Father with the same request. Then, on the night of August 5, 358, in the middle of the hot Roman summer, snow fell on the summit of the city’s Esquiline hill. All of Rome proclaimed it a miracle, and a basilica was built on the spot according to the outline of the pattern of snow in obedience to a vision of Mary the couple had that night. Pope Liberius traced the outlines of the church in the snow and the first basilica was built on that site. It was completed about a century later by Pope Sixtus III (432-440), after the Council of Ephesus in 431 during which Mary was declared to be the Mother of God. Sixtus III enlarged and consecrated it under the title of the Virgin Mary about the year 435. The principal facade was added in 1741 by Benedict XIV. It bears the title of St.Mary Major, or the Greater, because it is in dignity, if not in antiquity, the first church in Rome among those dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. Saint Mary Major is one of only four Basilicas that, today, hold the Title of Major Basilica. The other three Basilicas are Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter’s and Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls.

The church, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major), is the largest church in the world, and one of the first, dedicated to Our Lady. Among the four major papal basilicas in Rome, St. Mary Major is the only one that maintained its original structure. Mosaics dating back to the 5th century can be seen in the central nave of the basilica, which also houses the relic of the Holy Crib from the birth of Christ. From the fact that the holy crib of Bethlehem is preserved in this church, it also bears the title of Sancta Maria ad Praesepe (at the Crib). St. Mary Major is one of the three patriarchal churches in which the Pope officiates on certain occasions, and in which there is an altar reserved only for him, St. Peter’s and St. John Lateran being the others. The Church universal commemorates the consecration of the four great Roman basilicas. By means of these feasts the Church seeks to link all Christians with the Holy See. In honor of the special day, a shower of white flowers is dropped from the ceiling of the Basilica, now known as Saint Mary Major, to commemorate the “Miracle of the Snow” in 358. This great celebration of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major should serve as a moment for us all to recall the role of the Blessed Mother of God, Mary, in the history of our salvation. Through her, we have received the Saviour of the world, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Forgive the sins of your people. May we who cannot please You by our unaided efforts attain salvation through the intercession of the Mother of Your Son. Amen 🙏🏾

SAINT EMYGDIUS, BISHOP AND MARTYR: St. Emygdius, also called Emidius, lived in the 3rd and 4th century and he was a pagan of Trier, Germany, who became a Christian bishop in Ascoli Piceno in Italy. Tradition states that he was killed during the persecution of Diocletian. He converted many people to Christianity with his displays of miracles. His legend states that he was a pagan of Trier who became a Christian. He traveled to Rome and cured the paralytic daughter of his host Gratianus, who had let him stay with him at his house on Tiber Island. Gratianus’ family then converted to Christianity. St. Emygdius also cured a blind man. The people of Rome believed him to be the son of Apollo and carried him off by force to the Temple of Aesculapius on the island in the Tiber, where he cured many of the sick. St. Emygdius declared himself a Christian, however, and tore down the pagan altars and smashed into pieces a statue of Aesculapius. He also converted many to Christianity; this enraged the prefect of the city. Because of a number of miracles performed including curing the sick, Pope St. Marcellus I or Pope Marcellinus made him a bishop and sent him to Ascoli Piceno. On his way to Ascoli, St. Emydgius made more conversions, and performed a miracle where he made water gush out of a mountain after striking a cliff.

When St. Emygdius arrived, Polymius, the local governor, attempted to convince St. Emygdius to worship Jupiter and the goddess Angaria, the patroness of Ascoli. Polymius also offered him the hand of his daughter Polisia in marriage. Instead St. Emygdius baptized her as a Christian in the waters of the Tronto, along with many others. Enraged, Polymius decapitated him on the spot now occupied by the Sant’Emidio Red Temple, as well as his followers Eupolus (Euplus), Germanus, and Valentius (Valentinus). St. Emygdius stood up, simply carried his own head to a spot on a mountain where he and his followers had constructed an oratory (the site of the present-day Sant’Emidio alla Grotte). After Emygdius’ martyrdom, his followers attacked Polymius’ palace and pulled it down. St. Emygdius’ relics are in Ascoli, where he suffered martyrdom with Eupolus, Germanus, and Valentius. The translation of his relics from the catacomb of Sant’Emidio alla Grotte to the crypt of the cathedral happened probably around the year 1000 under Bernardo II, bishop of Ascoli Piceno. St. Emygdius is considered to have protected Ascoli from other dangers. A dazzling vision of St. Emygdius is said to have deterred Alaric I from destroying Ascoli in 409. The troops of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor passed through the region in 1038 carrying the plague; Bernardo I, bishop of Ascoli, invoked St. Emydgius’ aid and the plague stopped. When, in 1703, Ascoli Piceno was spared destruction during an earthquake, people put it down to the hand of Saint Emygdius. He has ever since been invoked against the effects of earthquakes. During World War II, on October 3, 1943, St. Emygdius is said to have protected the city against German movements against the Italian partisans. He is a Patron Saint against earthquakes.

Saint Emygdius, Bishop and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏🏾

SAINT OSWALD, KING AND MARTYR: St. Oswald, the holy Martyr and King was born in the year 604, being the son of the pagan King Aethelfrith of Bernicia. In 616, following on the death of his father who was defeated and killed by Raedwald, he was forced to flee with his six brothers and sister St. Ebba to exile in Scotland, where they were received with honor by King Donald Brecc. There he received the faith of Christ and was baptized on the holy island of Iona. When his uncle, King St. Edwin of Northumbria, was killed in battle against pagan King Penda of Mercia and Welsh King Cadwallon in 633, Oswald assembled an army and in 634 defeated a superior force under Cadwallon, who was killed in a battle near Hexham, and Oswald became King of Northumbria.

St. Oswald attributed his victory to a vision he had had of St. Columba promising him victory and to a huge cross he had erected the night before the battle. The cross was said to have survived for over a century, and St. Bede reported that small pieces of the cross were immersed in water and the water used to heal both cattle and humans of illness. St. Bede the Venerable commemorates his deeds. He brought St. Aidan to his kingdom to preach Christianity, gave him the island of Lindisfarne for his see, and acted as his interpreter. He built churches and monasteries, brought in monks from Scotland to bring his people back to Christianity, and was known for his personal piety and charity. He married Cyneburga, daughter of Cynegils, first Christian king of Wessex, and died a few years later, on August 5, while fighting against the superior forces of Penda at Maserfield. He was only thirty-seven at his death. St Oswald was celebrated for his heroism, his generosity and his piety.

Saint Oswald, the holy Martyr and King ~ Pray for us 🙏🏾