Rome, Italy, Jun 24, 2011 / 10:30 am
June 24 is the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist's birth and that means a very busy day for Father John Fitzpatrick, the rector of the Church of San Silvestro in Capite, where the decapitated head of St. John is kept on public display.
“It is very important to keep the head of St. John the Baptist from the point of view of telling his story, because he was the forerunner of Jesus Christ,” the Pallotine priest told CNA.
“People come here to lay flowers, light candles and pray. They come from everywhere, even from Russia or Romania, and in great numbers to visit the relic. In fact, it would be difficult to count the number of pilgrims who come to the Church,” he said.
St. John the Baptist was the last great prophet to herald the birth of Jesus Christ. In fact, he was related to Jesus as the son of Elizabeth who was a cousin of Mary, the mother of Christ.