Our Lady of Snows

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Snows. It is a special day for my family because my father, my brother, several cousins, nephews and my paternal grandfather are named "Nevis" after Our Lady of Snows. Our Lady appeared to a couple in Rome, Italy in 352AD and requested a church be built in her honor on the location where there will be snow in the middle of summer. Next morning the couple found snow covered only on top of Esquiline Hill and the snow showed the outline of the church to be built. This church is now a Basilica and is known as Santa Maria Maggiore or Saint Mary Major. The Pope visits this Basilica prior to his foreign travels.  Visitors to Santa Maria Maggiore on August 5th experience a shower of white rose petals from the dome in the morning during mass and evening during vespers which is a tradition to commemorate the first snow event in 352AD. When my children and I visited we were blessed to venerate the relic of the actual crib of the Nativity of Jesus from Bethlehem which comprises of five wooden boards. The original icon of Our Lady and Christ Child by Saint Luke the Evangelist painted on the wooden table of the Holy Family from Nazareth is also enshrined here. The night before we returned back to the United States we went back to visit this beautiful Basilica to bid farewell and say a prayer of thanksgiving to Our Blessed Mother for the wonderful time we had in Italy! Our Lady of Snows pray for us.