San Paolo fuori le Mura

One of Rome’s four major basilicas was Wednesday’s Station Church.  As you can see from the link, happily I took lots of photos the last time we were there, so that my missing of the Mass yesterday is a little less disastrous.

The ‘First Scrutiny of the Catechumenate’ might not be a term readily tossed about, but its occurrence today explains why Gregory the Great had everyone coming out to a major basilica on a Wednesday.  Today, just as 1400 years ago, the season of Lent is the Church’s time of preparation for those who are preparing to join the Church (catechumens), and the liturgies where they publically professed their intention and were prayed for by the community were called scrutinies.  If Saint Gregory were arranging his Station Churches today, he’d send us to Saint Paul’s on the Third Sunday of Lent, because we’ve since moved the event from Wednesday.