Worship with Us at the 12:10 p.m. Mass on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, and Then Watch the “Miracle of the Snow” at the Basilica

In celebration of a 4th-century Marian miracle, known as the “Miracle of the Snow,” it has been customary for white rose petals to be dropped from the ceiling of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, or Saint Mary Major, in Rome on August 5. According to legend, during the night of August 4/5 in 358 AD (some sources say it was 352 AD), the wealthy Roman patrician Giovanni had a vision of the Virgin Mary. She instructed him to build a basilica dedicated to her where he would find miraculous snow the following day. In the morning, Giovanni spoke to Pope Liberius, who said he had the same vision. They discovered the snow – during the heat of the Roman summer – on the Esquiline Hill. The pope is said to have traced the perimeter of the church on the snow-whitened ground. The basilica was eventually built, financed by the wealthy Giovanni and his wife.