293rd anniversary of the Redemptorists

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica November 9, 2025

Today we celebrate the feast of dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. Today we are also celebrate the founding of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. On November 9, 324, Pope Sylvestre I dedicated the Lateran Basilica to the Most Holy Savior. On November 9, 1732 St. Alphonsus began our congregation by dedicating it to the Most Holy Savior, our name was changed later. The full name of the Basilica in Rome is St. John the Baptist Lateran of the Most Holy Savior. It's the cathedral of Rome, not St. Peter's. So the main church of our Catholic faith is St. John Lateran, it is not St. Peter. The Basilica of St. John Lateran has always been the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. That is why the anniversary of its dedication is celebrated. But what difference does a church in Rome mean to us here in Mexico City. Most of us will never get the chance to visit the church, so why celebrate the feast? And was it just a coincidence that St. Alphonsus began our congregation on this day? In every diocese, the cathedral is a sign, or "sacrament" one might say, of the unity of the local Church. In each diocese the dedication of the cathedral in which the bishop has his seat is celebrated as a sign of unity. Rome’s bishop is Leo XIV. Rome is the first diocese so its dedication proclaims the unity and communion of all the Church in communion with the Pope, "Pastor of all the faithful", "Servant of the Servants of God", "who presides, with the College of Bishops, over the universal congregation of the Church". Here in Mexico City we are celebrating this dedication, not for the building, but for what the building represents. That is why Jesus ran the money changers from the temple, for their lack of respect for the temple. We know that temples are only signs. The only true temple is Christ. To say this is not to minimize the temples built by the faithful, but to proclaim their authentic dignity, without forgetting, however, that no building can ever imprison God, nor limit his action. The Church must also bear witness, by her action and behaviour, that salvation is open to all. It is something that we understand very well. As Jesus says in the gospel, when he spoke of the destruction of the temple, he was not talking about a building in Jerusalem, but he was talking about his body. In the same way today we are not celebrating a building in Rome, but what this building represents. It is a symbol of Jesus in the world and represents our union as one church, united not only with a building in Rome, but also with the person of the Pope. Who unites us with Christ Jesus. Now, we move from the year 324 to the year 1732, from Rome to the town of Scala in southern Italy. 293 years ago St. Alphonsus founded the congregation of the Redemptorists, but our original name was the Most Holy Savior to symbolize union with the church. Today is the celebration of the main temple of our church and St. Alphonsus founded the Redemptorists to say that our mission is the mission of the church. That is why we were founded today, not just because that was the day everyone happened to arrive in Scala. I don't remember who but a Redemptorist spoke of the importance of this day and he said, "Redemptorists are part of the central nave of the church, were not a side chapel." The mission of the church is the mission of the Redemptorists, evangelization. Ministries such as schools, hospitals, charitable works, all are important but not essential. Evangelization is essential, that's why Jesus founded his church, that's why we have the Cathedral in Rome and churches all over the world, that's why St. Alphonsus founded the Redemptorists. So today is a feast day, feast for the church and feast for Redemptorists. Happy Anniversary!