The ancient tradition of visiting certain churches in Rome, known as Station Churches, during the solemn season of Lent is like a mini-pilgrimage and journey in faith. History of the Station Churches of Rome From the earliest exhortation of Jesus to Peter to feed His lambs and feed His sheep, the role of the Bishop of Rome has been to build up the Body of Christ within his jurisdiction by nourishing the faithful as a father, teacher, doctor, gardener, shepherd, leader and protector. Whilst the Catholic Church was undergoing intense persecution in the first centuries, then the Bishop did this in a personal and hidden way. However, with the legalisation of the Church in 313 A.D. the Bishop could more openly & visibly interact with his flock. As Pope Benedict XIV noted in his UBI PRIMUM (On the Duties of Bishops) in 1740 from Santa Maria Maggiore, the Bishop has the 'the obligation of visiting [his] churches [...] in order to acquaint [himself] with [his] sheep and with the appearance of [his] flock.' Indeed we know that from the 4th century onwards, the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, would interact with different parishes of his diocese by visiting different churches at different times. These visitations were often linked to the liturgical calendar - for example saying Holy Mass at Santa Croce on Good Friday, or Santa Maria Maggiore at Christmas, but also linked to different relics and deaths of the Roman martyrs. As time went on, the schedule of these visits became more formalised as the liturgical calendar became more concrete by the second half of the 5th century. Lent and Station Churches During the solemn liturgical season of Lent - a time for the Christian to refocus on God through prayer, fasting and almsgiving - the Bishop of Rome assisted
The ancient tradition of visiting certain churches in Rome, known as Station Churches, during the solemn season of Lent is like a mini-pilgrimage and journey in faith.
