Monday, November 9, 2026

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

feast Ordinary Time

Selected Mass Reading

Gospel — John 2:13-22

And the pasch of the Jews was at hand: and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple them that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting. And when he had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen: and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew. And to them that sold doves he said: Take these things hence, and make not the house of my Father a house of traffic. And his disciples remembered, that it was written: The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up. The Jews, therefore, answered, and said to him: What sign dost thou shew unto us, seeing thou dost these things? Jesus answered and said to them: Destroy this temple; and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said: Six and forty years was this temple in building; and wilt thou raise it up in three days? But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen again from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this: and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had said.

Feast Days

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Agrippinus of Naples Bishop of Naples 200–300

Saint Agrippinus of Naples was born in the third century, though the place of his birth is unknown. He lived toward the end of that century and, according to ancient tradition, served as the sixth bishop of Naples, shepherding the young Christian community in a time when the Church was still finding its footing amid uncertainty and persecution. Though he does not appear to have died as a martyr, the faithful of Naples long honored him with deep affection, and at one time his veneration rivaled that of the city’s better-known patron, Saint Januarius. Agrippinus was buried in an early Christian cemetery that later became linked with the great Catacombs of San Gennaro, where devotion to Naples’ saints took root across generations. Centuries later, his relics were sought out and are now enshrined beneath the high altar of the Cathedral of Naples alongside Saints Eutychius and Acutius, companions of Saint Januarius. He is especially honored as patron of Arzano. His feast day is November 9.

Theodore of Amasea Soldier, Military personnel, Martyr 300–306

Saint Theodore of Amasea was born in Amasea in Pontus, in what is now Amasya, Turkey. A Greek by origin, he served as a soldier in the Roman army, remembered especially as “Theodore the Recruit.” During the Great Persecution under Emperor Diocletian in the early fourth century, Theodore’s cohort was ordered to offer pagan sacrifice. He refused, openly confessing faith in Jesus Christ. Given time to reconsider because of his youth, he instead set his heart more firmly on the Lord, and—according to ancient tradition—burned a temple dedicated to the goddess Cybele. Arrested again, he endured torture and was finally condemned to death by fire, offering his life as a witness to Christ. By the late fourth century he was already widely venerated, and his cult spread rapidly through East and West. Honored as a great martyr and warrior saint, later devotion also portrayed him as a defender against evil. He is patron of Acerenthia, Bagaladi, Cerenzia, Frontone, Gallodoro, Laino Castello, Monteleone d’Orvieto, Orestiada, Rizziconi, and San Teodoro. His feast day is November 9.