With the traditional preparatory Triduum, taking place from 2 to 4 August, the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major prepares to celebrate on 5 August the Solemnity of the Dedication of the Liberian Basilica, the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of the Snows. The celebrations will culminate in the traditional reenactment of the miracle of the snow, recalling the prodigious snowfall of 5 August 358 AD, traditionally linked to the foundation of the Basilica ordered by Pope Liberius.
During the Pontifical Mass at 10:00, at the singing of the Gloria, a suggestive snowfall of white rose petals falling from a ceiling compartment of the Basilica will liturgically renew the memory of the miracle of the snow. The reenactment will be repeated during the chanting of Second Vespers at 17:30, this time at the singing of the Magnificat.
Preparatory Triduum
Sunday 2 August
· 18:00 – Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Mons. Eamonn McLaughlin, Liberian Canon.
Monday 3 August
· 18:00 – Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Mons. Michael Kahle, Liberian Canon.
Tuesday 4 August
· 17:00 – Chanting of First Vespers presided over by Mons. Ivan Ricupero, Liberian Canon.
· 18:00 – Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Mons. Ivan Ricupero, Liberian Canon.
Wednesday 5 August
Solemnity of the Dedication of the Liberian Basilica
· 10:00 – Solemn Pontifical Mass with reenactment of the miracle of the snow, presided over by H.E. Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Archpriest of the Basilica. The celebration will be broadcast live on Telepace.
· 17:30 – Chanting of Second Vespers with reenactment of the miracle of the snow, presided over by H.E. Mons. Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, Vicar to the Archpriest.
Access to the Basilica for all celebrations is free until seating capacity is reached.
Further information
To learn more about the history of the miracle of the snow and the meaning of its annual reenactment, you can watch the video below, in which the testimonies of Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas and Mons. Ivan Ricupero guide the faithful through a journey of history, devotion and tradition, helping them rediscover the deep spiritual meaning of the feast of the Liberian Basilica.
(The video, in Italian, is available with subtitles in English, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German.)
