Fish Eaters: The Whys and Hows of Traditional Catholicism

``Where the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be;
even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church'' Ignatius of Antioch, 1st c. A.D


Station Churches
 




 Station churches go back all the way to the 2nd or 3rd century and are rooted in the practice of the Bishop of Rome offering Mass at different churches on certain important Feast days. Those particular churches became known as "station churches."

During those papal Masses, local Christians and pilgrims to Rome would gather at the relevant station church, or sometimes gather at a second church and then form processions to the station church, chanting the Litany of the Saints on the way.

In the sixth century, Pope St. Gregory the Great, the great systemetizer, formally arranged the station churches which are used today, with additions, and with the exception of certain churches which have been demolished and then substituted for in the list of station churches in use now.

Sadly, the use of station churches died out after the Avignon papacy, but was revived in 1959 by Pope John XXIII. Now, Catholics in Rome do as their spiritual ancestors did and will either meet at the station church for a given feast, or gather at a different church -- called a "collect church" -- and make a procession to the station church of the day (not all feast days with station churches will have associated collect churches).

Often, the church that is named as a station church will have some connection to that day's feast -- for example, the station church of Good Friday is the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, where the titulis crucis -- the sign designating Jesus as the "King of the Jews" -- can be found. Likewise, Christmas Eve Mass is always offered by the Pope at S. Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major), which is said to contain a relic of the manger Christ was laid in as a baby.

If you look in a 1962 missal, you'll find the name of a station church listed under certain Feasts -- eighty-nine feasts in all: the Sundays of Advent; three feasts during Christmastide; Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima Sundays; every day of Lent; the entire week of Easter; Rogation Days; the Ascension; Pentecost and the week that follows; and the Advent, Michaelmas, and Lenten Ember Days. It's the Lenten stations that are given the most attention, and it's only the Lenten stations that include collect churches and processions.

Under the usual conditions, a partial indulgence is granted to those who, on the days indicated in the Roman Missal, devoutly visit the station church named for that day. If they also assist at the liturgies celebrated there on that day, a plenary indulgence is granted.

Below are the station churches of Rome. Where relevant, the collect church is listed as well, in this manner -- e.g., "S. Pietro in Vincoli to S. Maria Maggiore", where the faithful gather at S. Pietro in Vincoli (the collect church), and then process to S. Maria Maggiore (the station church).
Advent
First Sunday of Advent: S. Maria Maggiore
Second Sunday of Advent: S. Croce in Gerusalemme
Third Sunday of Advent: S. Pietro in Vaticano
Advent Ember Wednesday: S. Maria Maggiore
Advent Ember Friday: SS. Apostoli
Advent Ember Saturday: S. Pietro in Vaticano
Fourth Sunday of Advent: SS. Apostoli

Christmastide
Christmas Eve: S. Maria Maggiore
Christmas Angel's Mass: S. Maria Maggiore
Christmas Shepherds' Mass: S. Anastasia
Christmas Kings' Mass: S. Maria Maggiore
St. Stephen: S. Stefano Rotondo
St. John: S. Maria Maggiore
Holy Innocents: S. Paolo fuori le mura
Circumcision: S. Maria in Trastevere
Epiphany: S. Pietro in Vaticano

Septuagesima
Septuagesima: S. Lorenzo fuori le mura
Sexagesima: S. Paolo fuori le mura
Quinquagesima: S. Pietro in Vaticano

Lent
Day 1 of Lent, Ash Wednesday: S. Anselm to S. Sabina
Day 2 of Lent: S. Nicola in Carcere to S. Giorgio in Velabro
Day 3 of Lent: SS. Giovanni e Paolo
Day 4 of Lent: S. Lorenzo in Lucina to S. Agostino (formerly S. Trifone in Posterula)
1st Sunday of Lent: S. Giovanni in Laterano
Day 5 of Lent: SS. Cosma e Damiano to S. Pietro in Vincoli
Day 6 of Lent:S. Nicola in Carcere to S. Anastasia
Day 7 of Lent, Ember Wednesday: S. Pietro in Vincoli to S. Maria Maggiore
Day 8 of Lent: S. Agata del Goti to S. Lorenzo in Panisperna
Day 9 of Lent, Ember Friday: S. Marco to SS. Apostoli
Day 10 of Lent, Ember Saturday: S. Maria in Traspontina to S. Pietro in Vaticano
2nd Sunday of Lent: S. Maria in Domnica
Day 11 of Lent: Ss. Cosma e Damiano to S. Clemente
Day 12 of Lent: S. Balbina
Day 13 of Lent: S. Giorgio in Velabro to S. Cecilia in Trastevere
Day 14 of Lent: S. Giorgio in Velabro to S. Maria in Trastevere
Day 15 of Lent: S. Agata dei Goti to S. Vitale in Fovea
Day 16 of Lent: S. Clemente to SS. Marcello e Pietro
3rd Sunday of Lent: S. Lorenzo fuori le mura
Day 17 of Lent: S. Marco
Day 18 of Lent: S. Pudenziana
Day 19 of Lent: S. Balbina to S. Sisto Vecchio
Day 20 of Lent: S. Marco to SS. Cosma e Damiano
Day 21 of Lent: S. Maria ad Martyres to S. Lorenzo in Lucina
Day 22 of Lent: S. Vitale in Fovea to S. Susanna
Fourth Sunday of Lent: S. Croce in Gerusalemme
Day 23 of Lent: S. Stefano Rotondo to SS. Quattro Coronati
Day 24 of Lent: S. Caterina dei Funari to S. Lorenzo in Damaso
Day 25 of Lent: S. Paolo fuori le mura
Day 26 of Lent: SS. Quirico e Giulitta to SS. Silvestro e Martino
Day 27 of Lent: SS. Vito e Modesto to S. Eusebio
Day 28 of Lent: S. Angelo in Pescheria to S. Nicola in Carcere
Fifth Sunday of Lent, Passion Sunday: S. Pietro in Vaticano
Day 29 of Lent: S. Giorgio in Velabro to S. Crisogono
Day 30 of Lent: S. Maria in Via Lata (formerly S.Ciriaco de Camiliano)
Day 31 of Lent: S. Marco to S. Marcello al Corso
Day 32 of Lent: S. Maria in Via Lata to S. Apollinare
Day 33 of Lent: SS. Giovanni e Paolo to S. Stefano Rotondo
Day 34 of Lent: S. Sisto Vecchio to San Giovanni a Porta Latina
Sixth Sunday of Lent, Palm Sunday: S. Giovanni in Laterano
Day 35 of Lent, Holy Monday: S. Balbina to S. Prassede
Day 36 of Lent, Holy Tuesday: S. Maria in Campitelli to S. Prisca
Day 37 of Lent, Holy Wednesday: S. Pietro in Vincoli to S. Maria Maggiore
Day 38 of Lent, Maundy Thursday: S. Giovanni in Laterano
Day 39 of Lent, Good Friday: S. Croce in Gerusalemme
Day 40 of Lent, Holy Saturday: S. Giovanni in Laterano

Eastertide and Time After Pentecost
Easter: S. Maria Maggiore
Easter Monday: S. Pietro in Vaticano
Easter Tuesday: S. Paolo fuori le mura
Easter Wednesday: S. Lorenzo fuori le mura
Easter Thursday: SS. Apostoli
Easter Friday: S. Maria ad Martyres
Easter Saturday: S. Giovanni in Laterano
Octave of Easter, Low Sunday: S. Pancrazio
Major Rogation: S. Pietro in Vaticano
Rogation Monday: S. Maria Maggiore
Rogation Tuesday: S. Giovanni in Laterano
Rogation Wednesday: S. Pietro in Vaticano
Ascension: S. Pietro in Vaticano
Pentecost vigil: S. Giovanni in Laterano
Pentecost day: S. Pietro in Vaticano
Pentecost Monday: S. Pietro in Vincoli
Pentecost Tuesday: S. Anastasia
Pentecost Ember Wednesday: S. Maria Maggiore
Pentecost Thursday: S. Lorenzo fuori le mura
Pentecost Ember Friday: Ss. Apostoli
Pentecost Ember Saturday: S. Pietro in Vaticano
Michaelmas Ember Wednesday: S. Maria Maggiore
Michaelmas Ember Friday: SS. Apostoli
Michaelmas Ember Saturday: S. Pietro in Vaticano



 A Map of the Station and Collect Churches:

All churches listed are station churches for the time given unless they're specifically called collect churches.
Clicking on the icon of each church will bring up information and photos.

(I hid a little Easter egg on this map. Hint: it's South of the Pantheon, but North of the Tiber)

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