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Pope Leo XIV to make history with Marian procession on Lake Albano
Pope Leo XIV will celebrate tonight the Feast of Our Lady of the Lake in Castel Gandolfo at the church consecrated by Pope Saint Paul VI and will become the first Pope to travel by boat along part of the lake, accompanied by around ten other vessels.
By Michele Raviart – Castel Gandolfo
Pope Leo XIV will be the first Pope in history to take part by boat in the procession for the Feast of Our Lady of the Lake in Castel Gandolfo, crossing the waters that have provided the backdrop to the summer residence of the Popes for the past 400 years.
Today, Saturday, August 29, at 6 p.m., the Pope will preside over Mass in the Church of Maria Santissima del Lago, consecrated by Pope Saint Paul VI on August 15, 1977. He will then join the procession, part of which will take place on the waters of Lake Albano.
At the end of the celebration, the Pope and the faithful will leave the small church, which belongs to the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova, and carry the statue of Our Lady of the Lake in procession along the road to the “Tropicana” beach resort.
Once they reach the shoreline, the statue of Our Lady will be placed on a boat provided by the Castelli Romani Regional Park Authority. The Pope will also board the vessel, which will set off toward the nearby “Giorgio’s Beach,” at the foot of the Apostolic Palace.
As tradition dictates, the Pope and the image of Our Lady of the Lake will be accompanied by around ten civilian boats—including two canoes—as well as several vessels belonging to the law-enforcement authorities.
A celebration “for the lake”
“Usually, some of the faithful also follow the procession by swimming, but this year that has not been possible for safety reasons,” explained Father Adriano Gibellini during the presentation of the event, held on Friday, August 28, at the Castel Gandolfo town hall. Father Gibellini is the liturgical director and the person responsible for pontifical celebrations in the Diocese of Albano.
The Feast of Our Lady of the Lake is deeply cherished by the people of Castel Gandolfo, although its history is relatively recent. It began during the Marian Year of 1954 at the initiative of the parish priest at the time, Father Dino Sella, with the aim of involving all those who worked around the lake.
The church was built 23 years later. In addition to Pope Saint Paul VI, who consecrated it 49 years ago, the Church of Maria Santissima del Lago was also visited by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1979. Both Popes took part in the procession, although neither travelled along the section on the water.
A ‘thank you’ to the Pope
The idea of inviting Pope Leo XIV to participate in the Mass arose a year ago, explained Castel Gandolfo Mayor Alberto De Angelis. It was proposed by Father Tadeusz Rozmus, parish priest of Saint Thomas of Villanova, in response to a desire expressed by local residents.
The initiative has led to close cooperation among the municipal administration, the diocese, law-enforcement agencies and local organizations, including the local tourism association and the Castelli Romani Regional Park.
Everyone has expressed their gratitude to the Pope for placing the small town in Lazio “at the center of the world” and for taking part “as one of them” in a parish celebration that is especially dear to the local community.
Appreciation of the gift of Creation
This year’s celebration takes place as part of thanksgiving festivities marking 400 years of the Popes’ presence in Castel Gandolfo, beginning with Urban VIII in 1626.
“With the Pope’s presence, this thanksgiving takes on a particularly powerful meaning,” parish priest Father Tadeusz Rozmus told Vatican Media.
“His presence, in my view, is also an appreciation of the gift of creation. Here in Castel Gandolfo, creation is represented by this beautiful lake, surrounded by these mountains, by the beauty of nature. It is a way of giving thanks, of savoring and breathing in that beauty.”
“When Pope Saint Paul VI inaugurated the Church of Our Lady of the Lake,” the parish priest explained, “his intention was that it should be a church that ‘breathes the lake,’ because the Church represents the boat of Saint Peter and invites us to give thanks—to be grateful for what we have. And here in Castel Gandolfo, above all, we have this beauty, which is the lake itself.”
Angelus from Castel Gandolfo on Sunday
The procession on the lake will last approximately 25 minutes, after which Pope Leo XIV will return to the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo.
The celebrations will continue on Sunday, August 30, with Mass celebrated by Father Tadeusz Rozmus in the Church of Our Lady of the Lake. The Mass will be dedicated to the many motorcyclists who travel the roads of the Castelli Romani over the weekend.
A group of them will also take part in the Angelus prayer presided over by Pope Leo XIV.
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