Feast of Saint Mary Major on August 5th. On that day Cardinal Stanislaw RyŁko, the archpriest of this papal basilica, celebrated the Eucharist.
Joey Kariveli, Vatican City
Cardinal Stanislaw RyŁko, the chief priest of this papal basilica, said that Mary Major Basilica in Rome is a testimony of the faith and love of Christian generations to the Holy Virgin Mary.
He said this in his evangelical sermon during the Divine Liturgy offered at the said church on Friday, August 5 (05/08/22), which was the feast day of the dedication of this basilica.
Cardinal Stanislav Revko recalled that among the many churches in Rome, Mary Major Basilica is the first basilica established in the name of the Holy Virgin Mary in the West, the most ancient Marian church and the mother of Marian churches in Christendom. He also stated that this temple is a memorial of faith that talks about God’s son who became human for our salvation and the mother there.
Cardinal Revko reminded us that the person who dedicated this church raises the challenge of self-examination to see what contribution we can make in front of the great heritage of faith and love for Christ and his mother, and what we can do to make that heritage active in our time and touch our lives. He also mentioned the relic of the manger where the Son of God was born, the Salvation of the Roman people, and the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary worshiped in Salus Populi Romani.