Relics hold special place in Catholic Church

BOB REDDY | FLORIDA CATHOLIC VENICE BUREAU EDITOR

Posted: 06.29.09

BOB REDDY | FC
Statue of St. Anthony of Padua in San Antonio Parish in Port Charlotte.

PORT CHARLOTTE | Relics, such as the one Bishop Frank J. Dewane recently presented to San Antonio Parish here, have played an important role in Christian ritual since the earliest centuries of the Church and were a major part of popular religion in the Middle Ages.

Relics are the remains of a deceased saint or martyr and objects closely associated with those remains. Until 1969, relics were placed under the altar stones of all Roman Catholic churches. The veneration of relics was rejected by most of the Protestant reformers and most Protestants today, but relics continue to play an important part in Catholic and Orthodox Christianity.

Bishop Dewane said it is important for the faithful to learn about the saints, especially the patrons of the parishes to which they belong.

“The saints and martyrs serve as examples to us all,” he said.

As the Christian faith spread, there was a desire to have a link with early martyrs and with patron saints, and relics were transferred to new churches and new lands. In time, churches and monasteries weren’t considered to be of note unless they had a significant relic to be venerated. By the Middle Ages, honoring the saint and his or her relics on the saint’s feast day became a reason for public celebration, with processions and fairs in which all could join.

At the same time, there was also concern that the believer not “worship” a relic, for worship is given to God alone. Veneration, however, was allowed, for, as St. Thomas Aquinas would explain, the relics “excite to love.” It is really the saint who is being honored, and the relic assists the giving of that honor through a visible sign and physical link with the saint.

From the practice of celebrating the Eucharist on the tombs of martyrs arose the practice of placing a relic of a martyr within every altar. While this is no longer required by the Church, it is still done in many places where there is a desire to honor a patron or particular saint.

For centuries, great care has been taken to authenticate relics, particularly through the issuing of an accompanying statement of authenticity.

Relics are often obtained for parishes that build new churches. They are requested from the religious order or diocese with which the saint is most closely connected.

Relics are placed in one of three distinctive categories: first class, second class and third class.

First-class relics are items directly associated with the events of Christ’s life (manger, cross, etc.), or the physical remains of a saint (a bone, a hair, a limb, etc.). Traditionally, a martyr’s relics are often more prized than the relics of other saints. Also, some saints’ relics are known for their extraordinary incorruptibility – the human remains do not deteriorate as would normally be expected – and so would have high regard. It is important to note that parts of the saint that were significant to that saint’s life are more prized relics. In the case of St. Anthony, his tongue and jawbone are prized because the saint was considered a great speaker. They are in the Basilica Shrine of St. Anthony in Padua.

Second-class relics are items that the saint wore (a shirt, a glove, etc.), owned or frequently used, such as a crucifix or a book. An item more important in the saint’s life is thus a more important relic.

Third-class relics are any objects that are touched to a first- or second-class relic. Most third-class relics are small pieces of cloth.

The sale of relics is strictly forbidden by the Church under canon law.

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