18th Week of Ordinary Time C – Tuesday – Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome
My brothers and sisters, may the Lord give you peace. Today we celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major here in Rome — a temple that has stood for more than 1,500 years as a visible sign of the Church’s love for the Mother of God. I am blessed to live here in the Eternal City, and as a friar and priest, I have walked by it and through its doors countless times. I also have the joy of serving daily just down the road at the Lateran Basilica which is very close to Saint Mary Major, hearing confessions and welcoming pilgrims who come from all over the world to encounter the mercy of God.