Of the four basilicas in Rome this is the most important, being the Pope’s cathedral as Bishop of Rome. The name originates form the Lateran family which owned the land and that the Emperor Constantine bought from them. On the front of the present building there are fifteen colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and twelve Doctors of the Church. It is said that its title has changed during the centuries from St Saviour’s to St John and they could not decide which John so they included the two.
Its dedication is celebrated as a feast because it is regarded as the mother of all churches, the parish church of all Catholics.
Bishop Richard’s Weekly Message
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
For many of us, when we think of Rome, we think of St Peter’s Basilica. In a Jubilee Year such as this, the entry through the Holy Door of St Peter’s is a high point of any pilgrimage. It is from the Apostolic Palace, next to St Peter’s, that the Holy Father makes his Angelus addresses and it is there that the public audiences take place, as well as significant celebrations in the life of the Church: canonisations, the inaugurations of new popes and the requiem Masses for deceased popes.
Yet it is the Lateran Basilica, built originally by the Emperor Constantine, that is described as “the mother and head of all the churches of the City and the World.” It is the Cathedral Church of Rome, and popes lived in the Lateran Palace for hundreds of years. It is the Pope’s Cathedral, for he is the Bishop of Rome.
It is for this reason that the whole Church celebrates this feast. It is a celebration of our unity with the Holy Father, the successor of St Peter.
This Sunday’s first reading, the vision of Ezekiel of the Temple in Jerusalem, speaks of the water that flows from the Temple bringing life to the desert. So it is for the Church. The waters of baptism – in which, as St Paul tells us, we die and rise with the new life of Christ – bring us to live our lives in the love that exists in the Trinity, as members of Christ’s Church.
The celebration of the dedication of any Church is a reminder, as St Paul tells us in this Sunday’s second reading, that the Church is made of the living stones of the baptised. We are the Church, called to reflect the wonder of the Gospel to the world around us. This is the mission that we have been given through our baptism – the mission that calls others to share in the wonder of the Church’s life, the life of Christ.
The Lateran Basilica, the “mother of all the churches” stands as a witness to the world and a reminder to us, who are the living stones, of the mission to which we are called, in union with Pope Leo, the successor of Peter.
With every blessing,
+Richard
Remembrance Sunday
Having celebrated the 80th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War earlier in the year, memories have been refreshed. In the nation there are occasions of remembrance, in moments of silence, parades, assemblies and in prayer for those who have died in wars and armed conflict – it is an opportunity too to be as the Beatitudes reminded us – Peacemakers. At this moment there are parts of the world where violence and destruction continue. Pope Leo reminds us to pray for peace.
Mass Schedule
- Sunday 9th November 10am Dedication of St John Lateran and Remembrance Sunday
- Monday 10th November 8:15am St Leo the Great St Mary’s House
- Tuesday 11th November 11am Requiem Mass for deceased clergy who have served the churches of Brighton and Hove
- Wednesday 12th November 9:30am St Josaphat
- Friday 14th November 9:30am
- Saturday 15th November 8:30am HMP Lewes
- Sunday 16th November 10am
Blessing of Graves
Sunday afternoon from 2:30pm – prayers of Remembrance. Pause at the military graves.
Barbara Hatton RIP
The Funeral Service will be at Woodvale North Chapel at 2pm this Friday the 14th November. Remember David in your prayers.
Get Together. Catch Up. Information
Do gather in our hall on Sunday 23rd. Christ the King Sunday. Offers of help and nibbles welcomed, teas and coffees.
So long thy power
Hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O'er moor and fen
O'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn
Those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since,
and lost awhile.
St John Henry Newman
St Thomas More Church, Patcham, Brighton 