Virtual Pilgrimage

Take a trip to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

St. John Lateran Virtual Tour

A few weeks back, I wrote a post about the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. Well, I recently found out about a website on which you can take a virtual tour of this magnificent Church. Once on the site, you can choose various areas of the Church to explore. It takes a minute to load, but once it does, you can use your mouse to look all around. Be sure to take a look at some of the side chapels which are more beautiful than most churches I have ever visited. The site also provides beautiful music to listen to while you're looking around. Check it out, I think you'll be glad you did.

Dedication of St. John Lateran

Today is the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome. You can read about the history of this glorious church here and here. These pictures, from the latter of the previously mentioned links, show the beauty of this church, built under the Emperor Constantine.

The Nave



The High Altar



The Pope's Cathedra



Today's Opening Prayer from Mass:


God our Father,
from living stones, your chosen people,
you built an eternal temple to your glory.
Increase the spiritual gifts you have given to your Church,
so that your faithful people may continue to grow
into the new and eternal Jerusalem.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.