July really turned up the heat – couldn’t you almost just see the thermometer burst? However, as sweltering as August is, it does have some redeeming qualities – like these faith-filled ways to fend off soaring temperatures. Try these cool summer activities before the school bell rings.
When summer sizzles, try dreaming of a snowfall just outside your door. Farfetched? Maybe, but not without precedent. On Aug. 5, 354, snow fell in Rome, 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. The feast of Our Lady of the Snows is still celebrated in Rome with an artificial snowfall and lightshow at the church that was built: the Basilica of St. Mary Major. This year, Pope Francis will take part in Vespers for the Solemnity of Our Lady of the Snows on Aug. 5. Join the thousands of tourists, or pray with the pope on YouTube from the cool of your home and enjoy a frozen treat afterward in honor of the feast. Alternatively, you could take a U.S.-based pilgrimage to the Basilica of Saint Mary in Alexandria, Virginia, which mirrors the Rome basilica’s “snowfall” of white flower petals falling from the ceiling above the sanctuary. The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Illinois also celebrates the feast starting with a novena on July 28.