On February 6, 2025, the Church of Santa Dorotea in Rome’s Trastevere district celebrated the feast of its Patron Saint with a solemn ceremony.
The event was preceded by a Triduum preached by the Assistant Pastor, Friar Sergio COGNINI. The solemn feast culminated with a Pontifical Mass led by His Eminence Cardinal Claudio GUGEROTTI, Prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches. The ceremony was attended by the friars from the neighboring San Giacomo friary, with their Guardian, Friar Renzo DEGNI, members of the men’s and women’s religious congregations of the Parish, civil and military authorities from the Trastevere area, brothers and sisters from the Confraternities of Sant’Antonio and Santa Dorotea, as well as numerous faithful and other devotees of Santa Dorotea.
This year, as the Jubilee Year of the Universal Church continues, the relics of Santa Dorotea [St. Dorothy] which have reposed for many years in a bronze urn beneath the main altar of the church, were displayed in front of her statue.
In honor of St. Dorothy’s patronage over florists and greengrocers, large baskets of fruit and flowers were placed before her altar and were blessed by the celebrant. At the end of the Mass, the baskets were distributed to the faithful present and also shared with the sick of the parish.
The ceremony began with some words of welcome from the Pastor, Friar Umberto FANFARIELLO, who introduced Cardinal GUGEROTTI and highlighted the pastoral efforts of the parish, especially the charitable work of the Conventual Franciscans who lead three important initiatives: The House of the Father for parents of children who are hospitalized at Rome’s Bambino Gesù Hospital, the Mission Center which keeps track of our Conventual Franciscan missions in forty countries around the world, and the Regina Coeli Volunteers’ Association (VORECO), which assists the poor in the district and the city.
In his homily, the Cardinal said he was honored to be invited to the event, especially in his role as Prefect for Eastern Churches, given St. Dorothy’s background as a martyr from Cappadocia, a region where many Eastern religions coexisted, and where Christians were persecuted in the 3rd century A.D. He recalled the great faith of many strong women who refused to bow to tyrants, including the virgin St. Dorothy, who, clung to Christ and embraced the path to paradise to which she devoted herself completely, even to the point of martyrdom.
The celebration concluded with the reading of the Papal Bull granting a plenary indulgence, which was imparted to all present with the celebrant’s blessing.
A moving moment followed with a brief procession of the relics, carried by the brothers of the Confraternity of Sant’Antonio, to the church door. The relics were then used to bless the entire Trastevere neighborhood.
Friar Paolo FIASCONARO
