09/11/2021
Now I know...
๐๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐,
๐ผ ๐พ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐, ๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐พ๐ผ, ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ผ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
Today, the Church remembers the Feast of the dedication of Lateran Basilica. Maybe it would be fitting if we also explain the significance of Basilicas to our faith.
Occasionally, Catholics in elsewhere โ will encounter a chapel all around the world. A chapel is smaller than a church and has no permanent congregation. It is understood as a place for divine worship designated by permission of the local ordinary for the benefit of one or more physical persons. But aside from a Chapel, Catholics could also encounter a building that is not a Chapel. It is majestic in beauty with a rich history behind it. Sometimes these buildings are called โbasilicas,โ while other times they are called โcathedrals," some may even be called as "Parishes," and "shrine."
But are you familiar with their differences?
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Code of Canon Law 2179 "A parish is a definite community of the Christian faithful established on a stable basis within a particular church; the pastoral care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the authority of the diocesan bishop." It is the place where all the faithful can be gathered together for the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The parish initiates the Christian people into the ordinary expression of the liturgical life: it gathers them together in this celebration; it teaches Christ's saving doctrine; it practices the charity of the Lord in good works and brotherly love."
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The name โcathedralโ is given to churches that are the โhubโ of each diocese, where the bishop typically presides at important liturgies. The cathedral gets its name from the presence of the bishopโs chair, traditionally called the cathedra (Latin word for โchairโ). The bishop sits on this chair when celebrating the Mass or other liturgical events at the cathedral.
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The term basilica was used to identify churches of historic and spiritual importance. Usually, these churches are built in the basilica style, but the key criterion is that they are places of historic and spiritual importance. The Holy Father officially designates a church as a "basilica." Basilicas are further classified into two groups: Major and Minor.
Major Basilicas include only those churches in Rome that have great historical significance. These include St. Peterโs, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls. The second group is known as โminor basilicas.โ These are more numerous, found in almost every country in the world. Local bishops petition Rome for one of their churches to be named a minor basilica; the church must be proven to have extraordinary beauty with a rich history behind it to be given the title.
๐๐๐๐๐๐ (MAJOR & MINOR)
A shrine is a church or other sacred place where a relic is preserved, like the Shrine of St. Jude in Baltimore; where an apparition has taken place, like the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock in Ireland or the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City; or an historical event of faith has taken place, like the Shrine of the Our Lady of the Martyrs in Auriesville, N.Y., where the early Jesuit missionaries were martyred.
A shrine may also be a place designated to foster a belief or devotion; for example, the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (a basilica and a shrine) was built to foster devotion to our Blessed Mother in the United States, particularly since she is the patroness of America under the title of the Immaculate Conception. Shrines are regulated by the local bishop, and national shrines are designated as such by the national conference of bishops.
To bring this all together, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore (which has on display a conopoeum) is not only a basilica and a shrine, but also the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the first Catholic cathedral in the United States. Thus one church may be simultaneously a basilica, a cathedral and a shrine.
Sources:
(1) What is the difference between a basilica and a cathedral?โAleteia(Retrieved on August 5, 2021);
(2) Cathedrals, Shrines and Basilicas by Fr. William SaundersโCatholic Education Resource Center (Retrieved on August 5, 2021);
(3) Romeโs Four Papal Basilicas by Silvia DonatiโItaly Magazine (Retrieved on November 8, 2021);
(4) The Purpose of Catholic ParishesโCatholic Missionary Disciples (Retrieved on November 8, 2021);
(5) ๐ท Canva Pro, Pinterest
