Pope Francis will witness the Miracle of Snow in Santa María la Mayor on August 5

Every August 5, the Catholic Church celebrates the Virgin of the Snowsa Marian devotion from the first centuries of the Christian era linked to one of the most important basilicas in Rome and for which Pope Francis feels a special affection: Santa María Maggiore.

In this way, the Holy Father will attend the basilica on Monday, August 5, for the celebration of Vespers at 5:30 p.m. (local time) and will also witness the commemoration of the so-called “Miracle of the Snow.”

What is the “Miracle of Snow”?

As is tradition, this miracle is performed every year, dating back to the year 358, during the reign of Pope Liberius.

In the early morning of August 5 of that year, in the middle of summer, the Pontiff, a Roman patrician named John, and his wife, dreamed that the Virgin Mary asked them to build a church in the place where they would find fresh snow the next day.

The snowfall miraculously took place on the Esquiline Hill, and a decade later the first temple dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the West was erected on its perimeter. Then, Pope Sixtus III built the church as it now stands in the year 431.

Therefore, as is tradition, in the presence of the faithful gathered in the temple, a trapdoor will open in the ceiling from which white petals will “rain” in front of the altar. This is the reason why Santa Maria Maggiore It is also called Liberian Basilica or ad Nives.

This day the Holy Mass will also be celebrated at 10:00 a.m., presided over by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, Archpriest of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Finally, at 7:00 p.m., Bishop Emilio Nappa, President of the Pontifical Mission Societies, will close this festivity with another Mass.

Pope Francis and Saint Mary Major

The basilica has a special meaning for Pope Francis, as he visited it early in the morning of the first day of his pontificate, March 14, 2013, to entrust his ministry to the Mother of God before the icon of Mary Salvation of the Roman PeopleProtector of the Roman People.

Since then, every time he undertakes a trip outside of Rome, the Pontiff goes to Her before and after to pray and give thanks for the fruits of it.

Furthermore, the Holy Father stated a few months ago that wants to be buried in this basilica for a promise he made to the Virgin Mary and that, in fact, “the place is already prepared.”