The Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul are two of the four great basilicas in Rome. The others are St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major.
 
The Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul, this Monday, Nov. 18, not only commemorates the dedications of these two great churches, but also the two great pillars of the Church, left by Christ Himself. St. Peter is known as the Apostle to the Jews, and St. Paul is the Apostle to the Gentiles. Two grand statues of these incredibly important figures stand guard in front of Mother of God Church. St. Peter holds the Keys to the Kingdom, given to him by Christ, and St. Paul holds the sword, by which he was beheaded.
   
The tomb of St. Peter is in the Basilica of St. Peter, directly below the Papal altar. The tomb of St. Paul is below the floor of the Basilica of St. Paul. Both are buried in the same location where they died martyr’s deaths.

There is a stained-glass window in Mother of God Church which portrays a young Mary ascending the steps to the temple, to be greeted by the High Priest. Her mother Anne and her father Joachim are to her left and right. She is being presented to God, consecrated to Him, some time before the Angel Gabriel appeared to her to announce that she would be the mother of the Son of God. This story is not in the four canonical Gospels but is in the apocryphal Protoevangelium of St. James. Because it is not recognized as official scripture, it does not have the same level of certainty as if it were actually in the Bible, but the Church does accept this story and celebrates it as a feast on Nov. 21. 
    
Above the image of the Presentation of Mary, is the image of the Presentation of Samuel, as his mother Hannah offers him to the Prophet Eli, in gratitude that God had given her a son after many years of infertility.

I recently learned that the song “Cecilia,” by Simon and Garfunkel, is about St. Cecilia, the Catholic patron saint of music and musicians. A few of the verses are a bit problematic, but this comes from Paul Simon himself.
   
Cecilia lived during the early years of the third century and was both a virgin and martyr. We celebrate her feast this Friday, Nov. 22.

In the 1917 Mexican Constitution, a terrible persecution of the Catholic Church was made the law of the land. The author Graham Greene stated that it was the fiercest persecution of the Church since the time of Queen Elizabeth in England. A civil war broke out between the government and a group of Catholic rebels, known as the Cristeros War. Cristeros means the Soldiers of Christ. 
    
During that time there was a Jesuit priest named Miguel Agustin Pro who was working in the underground Church, ministering to the Mexican people and to the members of the Cristeros military. A failed assassination attempt on the President gave the government the liberty to target those they believed were enemies of the state, and that included Miguel. On Nov. 23, 1927, Miguel was executed by a firing squad. Just before the shots were fired he raised his hands and cried out, “Viva Cristo Rey,” “Long live Christ the King,” which was the battle cry of the Cristeros. 
    
We celebrate Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro on Saturday, Nov. 23.