35K views · 1.5K reactions | Today is the feast of the Protomartyrs of Rome, the first martyrs of the Church in Rome. Peter and Paul were among the first martyrs, and hundreds and if not thousands within the next decades would be martyred as well. They would not worship the emperor. They would only worship God the Father and Jesus Christ. For that, they literally lost their heads. | Timothy Cardinal Dolan | Facebook

On the Feast of Epiphany let’s visit the crib of Jesus in Rome! Beneath the high altar of Santa Maria Maggiore lies one of Rome’s most quietly powerful spaces the Confessio. Here, directly below the altar, are preserved the relics of the Holy Crib five pieces of ancient sycamore wood traditionally venerated as part of the manger where Christ was laid in Bethlehem. Brought to Rome by the early Middle Ages, these relics earned the basilica its ancient title Sancta Maria ad Praesepe or St. Mary of