Fragment of the True Cross

This is a fragment of the real cross on which Jesus was crucified.

It is believed that the cross was found by Saint Helen, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Church.  The Roman Catholic Church honors him as an important figure in the history of the faith with the title of “Constantine the Great”. Saint Helen made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land between 326 and 328 AD and is said to have discovered the hiding place of three crosses that were believed to have been the ones used at the crucifixion of Jesus, the other two belonging to the thieves executed with Him, Dismas and Gestas. One cross was affixed with the Titulus Crucis, the sign bearing “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews” but Helen was not sure of its legitimacy until a miracle revealed the truth. A dying woman was brought to the site and was asked to touch each of the remains of the crosses. Upon laying her hand on the third cross, she was found to be miraculously healed and Emperor Constantine ordered the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to be built on the site.

Fragments of the Cross were broken up and the pieces were distributed widely. The Cross continued to be broken up and divided throughout the years so that many churches throughout the world may have a piece of salvation history.

There is much information available surrounding this amazing relic, we recommend St. Helena : The Finding of the Cross on Formed which is available to all parishioners, as well as Mysteries of Faith, the documentary series on Netflix for some further context to the beauty of this relic of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. 

Veil Fragment of the Blessed Virgin Mary

This is a relic shrouded in mystery and questions, but  it is a strong reminder of Mary’s intercession as the mother of Christ, her love for the Son of God, and all He came to save through His death and resurrection.

The earliest recording of the veil being kept comes from Constantinople, the then capital of the Byzantine Empire, somewhere between the 5th and 12th century AD. While there are several accounts of the garment, how it was associated with Mary and how it came to be in Constantinople is not made clear.

It is believed that this veil was donated to the Chartres Cathedral in France in 876 AD and was later damaged during the French revolution in 1793,  with pieces of it being returned over time. You can read more of this account here.  

Our best information says that the veil was worn by Mary after the Annunciation, as it is made from silk. It would be plausible that it was a gift from the magi who followed the star of Bethlehem. A wife of a tradesman in first century Nazareth would more likely have worn a linen veil, and not have had access to the expensive fabric, bringing further credence to the story of its origin.

Many miracles have been associated with the veil, and it is still venerated in Chartres.  During the French Revolution the reliquary at Chartres was destroyed and the veil was cut or torn into pieces.  Some of these pieces have been returned to the Cathedral at Chartres and some smaller pieces like this one are located throughout the world.  

Bone Fragment of Saint Anthony of Padua

1. August 15th, 1195  in Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal
2. June 13th, 1231 age 35 in Padua, Italy 32

Canonized May 30th, 1232 by Pope Grogory IX

Feast Day June 13th

Patron Saint of custody of the Holy Land, miracles, travelers, finding your spouse, pregnancy, harvests, animals, lost items, lost people, lost souls, poverty, sterility, the sick, the disabled, the oppressed, the hungry, the elderly, faith in the Blessed Sacrament, sailors, fishermen, watermen, swineherds, mail carriers, counter-revolutionaries, Indigenous peoples of the Americas

Anthony of Padua was one of the most quickly canonized saints in Church history, being sainted less than a year after his death. He was also proclaimed one of the 37 Doctors of the Church. Born Fernando Martins de Bulhoes, he came from a wealthy family and was well educated at an early age. At 15 he was received into the Order of the Holy Cross and studied theology and Latin. By 19, he was ordained as a priest and became the guest master in charge of hospitality for their abbey. While there, he was drawn to a small hermitage, a settlement where religious lived sequestered and reverent lives, dedicated to Saint Anthony the Great. During that time, five Franciscans had been martyred, and their bodies were returned to the Holy Cross monastery for burial; this solidified Fernando’s call. He was granted permission to leave and join the Franciscan order, where he joined another hermitage and took on the name of Anthony.

After falling ill, Anthony had trouble being assigned to a convent in the order but finally landed at the rural hermitage of Montepaolo di Dovadola in Romagna. Because of his health and the risk to the other friars, he spent his time in private prayer and study in his “room,” a cell in a nearby cave.

During an ordination in 1222 a number of Dominican Friars joined the Franciscans for the event. Confusion broke out on which among them would be preaching the homily in the Mass. The Franciscans were humble and known for their piety rather than their preaching, and the Dominicans had come unprepared to speak. The head of the hermitage moved to assign the task to young Anthony, whose sermon made a deep impression on those present. He was an eloquent speaker and well educated on scripture and so was the perfect fit for the occasion. He was then moved to another Franciscan province where he got to know Francis of Assisi, who had founded the order. Francis had a distrust for theological studies in the life of hermitage and brotherhood and placed more value in a life of poverty and service to others.  He found a kindred spirit in Anthony and took a liking to him right away. Francis gave Anothony the task of providing education to all members of the order.

You may be most familiar with Saint Anthony from the familiar childhood prayer:

“Tony, Tony, look around. Something’s lost that must be found.”

The story of his patronage of lost items comes from an incident during his time teaching in the order. Anthony had a book of Psalms that he kept at his side that contained all of his notes for teaching his many students. A young novice who had chosen to leave the order rather than continue his studies had taken the book of Psalms with him in his departure. As this was before the time of the printing press, all books were hand written, making them priceless. As Anthony was a Franciscan and took a vow of poverty, he would never be able to replace this item. Anthony prayed for the return of his precious book.  In answer to his prayers, the young man not only returned the stolen tome, but also was called to return to the order to finish his studies.

Anthony continued to teach and preach, developing his homilies in a story-telling style much like Jesus that Catholic priests still utilize today.

Anthony’s death came at the young age of 35 from ergot poisoning, a fungus that affects rye and other types of wheat and was sadly common at the time. His body was exhumed 30 years after his death and was found to have been turned to dust – all but his tongue, which is said to have looked as if it was still a part of a live body, speaking to the holy nature of his gift of preaching. 

Bone Fragment of Pope Saint Clement I

Multi Relic Theca with the relics of St. Therese of Lisieux and King Richard of Wessex

1. Unknown, Rome, Italy, Roman Empire
2. c. 100 AD

Beatified – Pre-Congregation

Feast Day November 23rd

Patron Saint of mariners and stone cutters

Very little is known about this early saint. Clement is considered to be the first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church and was a leading member of the Church in the late first century, but much about his life is conjecture.

It is claimed by the early Christian author Tertullian, that Clement was originally ordained by Saint Peter, and Church records list him as one of the earliest bishops of Rome. It is believed that Clement was likely exiled and possibly martyred but this is impossible to confirm as martyrdom had a different definition in the early Church.

According to some apocryphal stories, Clement was imprisoned by the Roman Emperor Trajan and executed by being tied to an anchor and thrown to sea. His body was reportedly recovered by a disciple.  Unfortunately, we cannot know the truth of this story.. The only genuine writing of Clement to survive is his letter to the church at Corinth in response to a dispute over church leadership. This letter would have been read in the church at Corinth alongside other letters; some of which were included in the New Testament. His letter is considered to be the earliest affirmation of the principle of apostolic succession.  This same theme was brought up at the Council of  Nicea and resulted in the Nicean Creed we said aloud at every mass.

Bone Fragment of Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

Part of a Multi Relic Theca that were housed together due to their status as Passionists.  Housed along with relics from St. Paul of the Cross and St. Vincent Strambi.

1. March 1st, 1838 Assisi, Papal States (Now Italy)
2. February 27th, 1862, age 23 of tuberculosis

Beatified May 31st 1908 by Pope Pius X

Canonized May 13th, 1920 by Pope Benedict XV

Feast Day February 27th

Patron Saint of students, youth, clerics, seminarians, Abruzzi

Gabriel was an Italian Passionist and clerical student who followed in the path of Saint Paul of the Cross. As a young man he was known and liked for his reputation of charitable acts and great piety. He was known to be a very handsome young man, and was even almost engaged to one woman who would later attend his beatification and canonization.  He became extremely sick in 1851. He made a promise to enter religious life if he recovered. Paul did recover then quickly forgot his promise. This happened twice more, escaping near death experiences until the final time when he stayed true to his promise. He applied to join the Jesuits, though he was not accepted. Later he would witness a procession of the ancient icon of the Virgin Mary and was reminded why he had been allowed to live through so much tragedy. He immediately sought the guidance of a priest and chose to enter the Passionist Congregation.

Gabriel made great strides as a student, and grew in his faith as well, but he quickly began to show signs of consumption. To everyone’s surprise, Gabriel was not worried and was actually grateful, as he had prayed for a slow death to prepare him more fully spiritually. He continued his usual practices through his illness and was known to be very cheerful, encouraging the other students who visited him frequently.

He asked on his deathbed that any of his spiritual writings would be burned, as he feared the temptation of pride – but a few letters survive as well as his Resolutions which show his progression through his years as a Passionist.

Gabriel passed before he was able to be ordained, surrounded by his community and holding an image of Our Lady of Sorrows, the very face that had brought him to the order. Two confirmed healings were associated with his veneration, opening and closing the case for his sainthood. He lived a short but very blessed life, bringing all those who knew him closer to the faith. 

Fragment from the Cloth Collar of Venerable Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia

1. June 9th, 1809 in Piova, Asti, Piedmont, Kingdom of Sardinia
2. August 6th, 1889, Age 80

Declared Venerable December 1st, 2016 by Pope Francis

Guglielmo Massaia was an Italian Cardinal of the church who served as a missionary and a Capuchin friar.

He entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order at age sixteen after the death of his older brother, who had been his spiritual advisor. After his ordination to the priesthood, he went on to serve as the spiritual director for a hospital in Turin. While he was originally appointed as a lector of theology, he found that his gift was preaching and became a trusted confessor and advisor to several historical figures, including Prince Victor Emmanual of Italy, and Ferdinand, Duke of Genoa. Many powerful families wanted him to be nominated for leadership in the Church, however Guglielmo knew his calling was to be a foreign missionary.

He went on to found the Apostolic Vicariate of Galla in Ethiopia, effectively bringing the Ethiopian church into communion with Rome. After much struggle, he went on to establish a school in Marseille for the education of native boys freed from slavery.  Guglielmo also did much work translating the native Oromo language so that further understanding could be possible. During his 35 years as a missionary, he was exiled seven times but always returned to his calling and did not stop until ill health prevented him. For his efforts, Pope Leo XIII raised him to the title of Archbishop of Stauropolis, as well as into the cardinalate. At the Pope’s command, Guglielmo wrote an account of his missionary work.

Guglielmo lived out the last decade of his life at a Capuchin Friary in Frascati and passed from heart failure at the age of 80. The case for his beatification has been active  since 1914, and was formally opened in 1941, granting Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia the title of Servant of God. Pope Francis moved to title him as Venerable in 2016, confirming his life of heroic virtue in the name of the Church.

We honor the process of his venerable status with patience and prayers as the case is investigated by the Vatican. 

Bone Fragment of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal

1. January 28th, 1572 in Dijon, Burgundy, France
2. December 13, 1641, age 69 of natural causes

Beatified November 21st, 1751 by Pope Benedict XIV

Canonized July 16th, 1767 by Pope Clement XIII

Feast Day August 12th

Patron Saint of forgotten people, in-law problems, loss of parents, parents separated from their children and widows

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal was a French Catholic Baroness who was widowed and later became a nun.

Saint Jane Frances lost her mother at an early age and later turned down multiple suitors before marrying the Baron de Chantal at 20 years old. She lost two children shortly after childbirth, with four surviving. Jane Frances was responsible for managing the estates of her husband as well as her father-in-law, as her husband was frequently away due to his work, all while providing alms and nursing care to those in need around her. She was widowed at 28 when her husband was killed in a hunting accident.  Jane returned to live with her father, where she listened to Francis de Sales preach.  He soon became a close friend and spiritual advisor. During this time, she cared for both her elderly father and father-in-law.

After her children had grown and married, Jane Frances purchased property and was the founder of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, a religious order that accepted women who had been rejected by other orders because of their health or age. This new order was groundbreaking because of its public outreach, where previous female orders would have remained strictly cloistered in their practices. Due to the politics of the time, Frances de Sales was obligated to make this a cloistered community. After his death, Saint Vincent de Paul served as Jane Frances’ spiritual director. By the time of her death, there were 86 houses in the order.

Many miracles were associated with Jane Frances de Chantal before and after her death, most notably the multiplication of the food in her convent’s storage, many healings, levitation during prayer and intercessory miracles.  In addition, her remarkable devotion to God and selfless acts of charity lead to her canonization as a saint.

Wood from the table of Saint John of the Cross 

This is a Multi Relic Crucifix with St. Teresa of Avila

Second Class Relic  

1. June 24th, 1542 in Fontiveros, Avila, Crown of Castille, Spanish Monarchy
2. December 14th, 1591 Age 49, Ubeda, Spain 

Beatified January 25th, 1675 by Pope Clement X

Canonized December 27th, 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII

Feast Day December 14th

Patron Saint of mystics, Spanish poets and contemplatives

John was a Spanish priest, Christian mystic and Carmelite friar.  Like Teresa of Avila, his mentor, was a major figure in the Counter-Reformation in Spain. He is one of the 37 Doctors of the Church.

Coming from a family of loss and poverty, John was educated in a religious school for poor children that provided very basic education, mainly in Christian Doctrine. He was provided with some food and lodging. He was chosen to serve as an altar boy at a nearby monastery. He went on to work at a hospital and study humanities at a Jesuit school until his entrance into the Carmelite Order, taking on the name John of St. Matthias.

During his time as a priest, he considered joining the stricter contemplative Carthusian Order, when he met Teresa of Avila in Medina while she was founding the second of her new reformed Carmelite convents. She talked to him about her reformation projects for the Order, and restoring purity to the Carmelites. Teresa asked him to reconsider his move to the Carthusian order and to follow her. He did, helping to continue to establish the new Order of Discalced Carmelites.

In 1577 a group of Carmelites who opposed the reforms broke into John’s humble dwelling and took him prisoner. He was sentenced by a court of reluctant friars to a term of imprisonment in a monastery.  He was kept captive and subjected to brutal public lashings, severe isolation and a penitential diet of water, bread, and scraps of salt fish. During this time, he composed his famous poem, Spiritual Canticle. He was able to escape eight months later and was nursed back to health by Teresa’s nuns. John went on to continue with his reforms despite the risk. As a result of the imprisonment, they formally requested separation from the rest of the Carmelite order.

He later went on to Baeza, where he served as rector of a new college and as a spiritual director to the friars and townspeople. He assisted with the founding of convents for Discalced nuns until his death before age 50 of erysipelas, a bacterial skin infection, likely from his discalced devotion of wearing minimal to no footwear. His body is still venerated, though divided between the Discalced monastery in Ubeda as well as Segovia. 

There is also a First Class Relic of St. John of the Cross in our Multi Relic Theca.

Saint John Vianney

1. May 8th, 1786 in Dardilly, Lyonnais, Kingdom of France
2. August 4th, 1859, age 73

Beatified January 8th, 1905 by Pope Pius X

Canonized May 31st, 1925 by Pope Pius XI

Feast Day August 4th

Patron Saint of parish priests and confessors

John of Jean-Marie Vianney was a French priest known for the radical spiritual transformation of his community and its flock.

John came from a devout family known for their charity.  In his childhood, the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution was in full swing, forcing many priests to go into hiding to perform mass for their parishes, which had become illegal. His parents travelled to rural areas in order to celebrate Mass in secrecy. Seeing how the priests persisted at the risk of death, they became heroes to John, as he loyally received his first sacraments in hiding.

The church was not re-established in France until 1802 when Napoleon Bonaparte insisted on religious peace. John was not a well-educated young man, but at the age of 20 was able to enroll in school, where he struggled with his classes. Due to his deep desire to be as his heroes, the priests, he persisted. By 1809, John was drafted into Napoleon’s army; as Napoleon had removed the exemption for ecclesiastical students due to his dire need for soldiers in the war against Spain. Before he was able to report for duty, he fell ill and was hospitalized. His draft left without him, though he could not escape his obligation to the military. Once he was released from the hospital he was drafted again.  When he was forced to move out, he fell behind his group when he stopped in a local church to pray. He met a man who offered to return him to his post but instead led him deep into the surrounding mountains where a village of deserters had gathered in hiding. He assumed the name of Jerome Vincent and opened a school there for the village children. He managed to remain in hiding for 14 months until an imperial proclamation granted amnesty to all deserters, and he was able to return to his studies. As he was behind in his education, he was bounced between seminaries, until a close friend was able to convince their leadership that his great piety was more than enough to make up for what he lacked in knowledge.  He was ordained a deacon in 1815, and ordained a priest 2 months later, saying his first Mass the very next day.

Vianney was eventually appointed parish priest of the parish of Ars, a small town of 230 people. He quickly began to see that the effects of the Revolution  had resulted in a population with religious ignorance and complete indifference.  They simply were concerned with survival and lost their faith along the way. Sundays in this area were not kept as the Lord’s day; the people worked through the day, didn’t attend Mass, and drank to excess in the local taverns. Vianney spent much of his time in the confessional and gave strong homilies against sin and blasphemy. If his parishioners would not change their ways, he could not offer them absolution. He became known internationally for his spiritual guidance and pilgrims flocked to the parish to speak with him, leading him to spend up to 18 hours a day in the confessional.

Vianney died at 73 and his funeral was attended by 300 priests and over 6,000 people. His body was fitted with a wax mask and is still on display today at the Basilica at Ars, and his heart remains incorrupt to this day. 

Pope Pius XI, Papal Medal of Saint Peter’s Oratory

1. May 13th, 1857 in Desio, Lombardy-Venetia, Austrian Empire
2. February 10th, 1939, aged 81 of natural causes

This rare medal was minted in 1924, designed by Aurelio Mistruzzi.

The medal features the face of Pope Pius XI from Italy who served as Pope from 1922 to 1939. Pope Pius was well known for speaking out against the actions of Hitler and Mussolini prior to World War II and for his defense of the Catholic Faith.

Pope Pius XI was the first Pope to be heard over the radio waves, and oversaw the creation of the Vatican City-State as it still stands today. Pope Pius XI issued many encyclicals, including Casti Connubii.  He authored a record number of concordats, including the Reichskonkordat with Nazi Germany, who would betray their agreement four years later.

After his death in 1939, he was laid to rest in the Papal Grotto of Saint Peter’s Basilica. During excavation of the space for his tomb, two levels of burial grounds were uncovered.  This revealed bones now venerated as the bones of Saint Peter. 

Bone Fragment of King Richard of Wessex  – also known as Saint Richard the Pilgrim, Saint Richard of Wessex, St. Richard the King, St. Richard the Saxon, and St. Richard of Swabia.

Located in a Multi Relic Theca with St. Therese of Lisieux and Pope St. Clement I.

b. Unknown, Wessex, Anglo-Saxon England

d. 720 in Lucca Italy

Feast Day February 7th

Not much is known about this early saint, but he is said to have died in Tuscany leading his family on a pilgrimage. He is not listed as a martyr in early church records.  Richard the Pigrim is the father of Saints Willibald, Winnebald and Walburga.  His brother-in-law was St. Boniface.  

At the time he would have been one of the early Anglo-Saxon chieftains who accepted Christianity after Saint Augustine in 597 AD and is said to have sought healing for his children through prayer in front of a great crucifix. He is said to have set off with his two sons on a pilgrimage route to Italy, praying at shrines along the way when he died unexpectedly of a fever. Miracles were reported in association with his tomb and despite the lack of information on his life, a cult venerating him developed. The people of the town where he died gave him the name Richard and made their own accounts of his life, describing him as an English Prince, though this was certainly incorrect. His son, Willibald is said to have continued the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and his journey is recorded in a text called Hodoeporicon, dated between 761 and 786 AD. 

Envelope Containing Bone Fragment and Single Relic Theca 

Veil Fragment and Bone Fragment of Saint Rita of Cascia

1. 1381, Roccaporena, Perugua, Papal States
2. May 22nd, 1457 Age 75-76

Beatified 1626 by Pope Urban VIII

Canonized May 24, 1900 by Pope Leo XIII

Feast Day May 22nd

Patron Saint of lost and impossible causes, sickness, wounds, marital problems, abuse, mothers, heartbroken women.

Rita was an Italian widow who became an Augustinian nun. Named Margherita, meaning Pearl, she was affectionately nicknamed Rita at a young age.

Her parents, though pious and charitable, arranged a marriage for her as was the custom of the time. This was against her will, as she wished to join a convent. Her marriage to Paolo Mancini lasted for eighteen years, and Rita remained a devoted wife, praying for the conversion of her husband.  He was a quick tempered and abusive man who was well known for his cruelty. It seems her prayers worked for a time, even encouraging him to drop a long-lasting family feud.   His life ended after he was stabbed by a member of the formal rival family. Rita was left with two sons and gave a public pardon of the murderers at her husband’s funeral.  Despite Rita’s best efforts to teach her sons and constant prayers for them, her sons eventually lived with an uncle who coached the boys to retaliate against the offending family. She asked God to remove her sons from this vicious cycle of brutality, and within a year both were dead of dysentery. Pious Catholics believe that this was God’s intervention, taking them to a natural death rather than letting them commit the mortal sin of murder.

After the death of her husband and sons, Rita attempted to join the monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia.  She was turned away due to her family’s reputation and because she had previously been wed. The monastery gave her the condition that if she could reconcile her family with her husband’s murderers, then she would be allowed entry to the order. She prayed steadfastly to her patron saints, John the Baptist, Augustine of Hippo, and Nicholas of Tolentino, for their intervention. Her efforts were fruitful, and they were able to resolve the conflicts, ending the generations’ long feud.  Rita was allowed to enter the monastery at age 36.

At the age of 60, she was meditating before an image of the crucifix, when a small wound appeared on her forehead- as though a thorn from the crown of Christ had penetrated her own flesh. The wound to her forehead was considered to be a partial Stigmata, and it remained until her passing.  This and several other miracles are associated with her life. She lived out the rest of her life as she had always wanted, a nun, until her death from tuberculosis, in her mid-70’s.

Three miracles were confirmed in the years leading up to her beatification, including healings and an incorruptible corpse that to this day emits a pleasant scent. Pope John Paul II summed up her remarkable life with these words, “Rita interpreted well the ‘feminine genius’ by living it intensely in both physical and spiritual motherhood.”