August is ripe with change as the vacation season winds down, a new school year begins, and parish life picks up again. Yet the late summer sun still sizzles, and the earth produces its bounty. As in every season, Our Blessed Mother grants each of us the graces we need to make the most of this time and the year ahead. Renew your devotion to Our Lady by bringing her into your home as you celebrate this month’s Marian feasts:
Something extraordinary happened in Rome on the night of Aug. 5, 354. Snow fell in summer, a rare occurrence in the Eternal City even in winter. On that night, Mary appeared to a wealthy childless couple in a dream, telling them a miracle would reveal where they should build a church: on a hill in the Esquiline district of Rome. Pope Liberius, having had the same vision, went out to the hill and drew an outline for the church before the snow melted. The feast of Our Lady of the Snows is still celebrated Aug. 5 in Rome with an artificial snowfall and lightshow at the church that was built on the hill: the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Celebrate by eating vanilla or any flavor of white-colored ice cream to represent the snow and Mary’s purity. Other ideas include making artificial snow with the kids and praying for cooler temperatures.