06/05/2018
The Reliquary that travels around the world (Pilgrim Relics) is originally called the "Centennial Reliquary", as this was made during the Centenary of her Death, 1997. It is made from precious tropical scented jacaranda hardwood from South America. The main case of the Relics, which is inserted into this Reliquary, is a solid silver case, dipped in gold.
The wooden base of the reliquary is 3 1/10 inches thick. For handling purposes, it has eight handles - three on each sides and one at each end.
Dimensions:
L x W x H (including the plexiglas cover)
1.50 x 0.95 x 0.85 meters
4 ft. 11 in. x 3 ft. 1 1/2 in. x 2 ft. 9 1/2 in.
Weight is 132 kilos or 291 lbs.
To welcome the relics of St. Therese is to welcome the saint herself. It means welcoming “a holy woman so present in our times”… who “indicates (to the young people in particular) the path of Christian maturity”. It means to welcome “a saint who remains young despite the passing years, and (who) is held up as an eminent model and guide on the path of Christians as we approach the third millennium.
What are Relics?
They are the material remains of saint or holy person after death, as well as objects sanctified by contact with his body. The Catholic Church employs the word to distinguish the body or whatever remains of a holy person after death, as well as objects that had an actual contact with saint’s body during his lifetime. Real or first class relics include the skin and bones, clothing, objects used for penance, instruments of a martyr’s imprisonment or passion, while representative relics are the objects placed in contact with the body or grave of a saint by the piety of the faithful or by circumstance
Why Venerate Relics?
“St. Thomas Aquinas dedicated a question in his Summa Theologica to the problem (3a, 35.6)…
The saints belong to Christ; they are the sons and daughters of God and his friends and as a consequence serve as intercessors with God for the living. Every relic is thus a record of the saint… relics have a direct relationship with the saints with Christ and with God. It is thus the saints who are the direct object of honor, of which their relics are but the sensible signs.” The cult of relics is justified according to the three principles established by the Council of Trent: the bodies of the saints are temples of the Holy Spirit, members of the Body of Christ and are destined for the final resurrection of the body.
The veneration of the relics must be seen in the way men and women of all ages and cultures venerate the dead and pray in front of their mortal remains. The relics of the saints are mediations of their presence and memorials of their historical existence. They evoke their humanity – the way they lived, worked, suffered and prayed. Through their relics, God manifests His presence and shows forth His might and glory…
Why venerate the relics of St. Therese in particular?
“In the light of the centenary of the death of St. Therese, the Church of Lisieux willed to create a movement around the relics of St. Therese as it happened previously in 1947. In the presence of and contact with her mortal remains, God who had received from her so many acts of love when she was alive here on earth, is pleased to manifest his love through the remains of her humanity. God’s power of salvation has been revealed through these signs. One simply has to read the volumes of favors and healings obtained through contact with the relics. People crowded around the relics to thank Therese, to lay open their hearts, and to present their burdens. They come from all walks of life – children, youth, adults and elderly. The innumerable testimonies received in Lisieux attest to this great spiritual event. Indeed, ‘God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; and He chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong…’”
