Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Sacred Relics

Last week, we got to take part in a very special event at our parish. We hosted Deacon Carlos Martins of Companions of the Cross (soon to be ordained a priest)and his display of over 150 Holy Relics of Saints.Click to find out more information about his ministry.

To understand what relics are, why they are venerated by Catholics, and Biblical application of this devotion, please visit here.

Deacon Martins' relic ministry is one of beauty and sacredness. Upon entering the church where the relics are displayed, one can't help but feel you are experiencing a bit of Heaven on earth. All the relics are held in ornate reliquaries which are sealed with wax imprints, held together with strings. This is to certify their authenticity. Deacon Martins gives a compelling slide show & talk on how relics are classified, how he became interested in them, & how he acquired much of his collection. We are then allowed to visit each relic, pick them up, hold rosaries and other holy items against them, or just pray and meditate while in their presence.

Amazingly, on display are relics that are 2000 years old! These include a piece of the sword which pierced Jesus while he hung on the cross, a piece of the Blessed Virgin Mary's hair & veil, relics from all the apostles, including Paul, and most powerful to me, one of the largest relics of the True Cross of Christ. Read how the True Cross was found by St. Helena.

I wanted to share a few pictures and remind you all to surround yourselves with holiness this Lenten season.

Andrew (in red jacket) touching the relics:



Blessed Virgin Mary's relics:



Relics from the Apostles:



The True Cross of Jesus Christ:



God Bless You!

3 comments:

Neen said...

We saw this last year. I loved it so much. I was so surprised how much my kiddos loved it.

Spring Hailstorm said...

Oh, I wish I could have attended that event! Thank you so much for sharing your pictures and thoughts...hopefully, we'll all be able to attend the next time around!!

Linda said...

Thank you for sharing your photos. I have seen several relic collections, but never the ones you mentioned.