1st class relic

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MaryKay101

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Greetings all,

I have a bone fragment of St. Catherine Laboure and am not sure what I should do with it. It belonged to my beloved great-grandmother Catherine who was a devoted Roman Catholic. I however am not and feel that it should be somewhere with people who will appreciate it. I read that they shouldn’t be sold which wasn’t my intent but nothing says where to send them? So my question is where is the proper place to send it? Return it to St. Catherine’s resting place? the nearest church? a museum? the Vatican?

It’s a beautiful but rather small gold container accompanied with a document written in latin.

I am sure grandma Kay would want it to be with those who love the faith as she did.

Thank you for your assistance,

Mary Kay
 
MaryKay101 said:
Greetings all,

I have a bone fragment of St. Catherine Laboure and am not sure what I should do with it. It belonged to my beloved great-grandmother Catherine who was a devoted Roman Catholic. I however am not and feel that it should be somewhere with people who will appreciate it. I read that they shouldn’t be sold which wasn’t my intent but nothing says where to send them? So my question is where is the proper place to send it? Return it to St. Catherine’s resting place? the nearest church? a museum? the Vatican?

It’s a beautiful but rather small gold container accompanied with a document written in latin.

I am sure grandma Kay would want it to be with those who love the faith as she did.

Thank you for your assistance,

Mary Kay
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I suspect there may be some official procedure the Church would wish you to follow, but regardless one thing you could do is go to a Catholic Church and ask the priest.

If any one of the following locations:

fssp.com/press/locations/

is near you, they would be good places to go ask. They will usually have a use for reliquaries.
 
Mary Kay,

I sent you a PM with the address to the Mother House of ST Cathrine’s order in Paris. Her body is still there near the alter.
 
MaryKay101 said:
Greetings all,

I have a bone fragment of St. Catherine Laboure and am not sure what I should do with it. It belonged to my beloved great-grandmother Catherine who was a devoted Roman Catholic. I however am not and feel that it should be somewhere with people who will appreciate it. I read that they shouldn’t be sold which wasn’t my intent but nothing says where to send them? So my question is where is the proper place to send it? Return it to St. Catherine’s resting place? the nearest church? a museum? the Vatican?

It’s a beautiful but rather small gold container accompanied with a document written in latin.

I am sure grandma Kay would want it to be with those who love the faith as she did.

wow cool, can you post a picture?
Thank you for your assistance,

Mary Kay
Click to expand...
wow cool, can you post a picture of the bones?
 
I contacted a church from the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona and they said to give it to a catholic friend?? I know I read somewhere that personal ownership was frowned on by the Vatican. I thought it was considered a holy relic to catholic’s?
 
MaryKay101 said:
Greetings all,

I have a bone fragment of St. Catherine Laboure and am not sure what I should do with it. It belonged to my beloved great-grandmother Catherine who was a devoted Roman Catholic. I however am not and feel that it should be somewhere with people who will appreciate it. I read that they shouldn’t be sold which wasn’t my intent but nothing says where to send them? So my question is where is the proper place to send it? Return it to St. Catherine’s resting place? the nearest church? a museum? the Vatican?

It’s a beautiful but rather small gold container accompanied with a document written in latin.

I am sure grandma Kay would want it to be with those who love the faith as she did.

Thank you for your assistance,

Mary Kay
Click to expand...
I’m curious. As the body of St Catherine Laboure is incorrupt and unblemished (even her eyes are still blue) then how can anyone have a bone fragment??
 
Very good question and I have no idea the answer. I used google translate since the document is in latin that gave me her name as well as it being on a tiny paper in the casing “St. C Laboure”. I googled the name found a few sites that referenced her. I found this site fisheaters.com/relics.html and she is listed. The paper looks authentic. It’s the real thing.
 
MaryKay101 said:
I contacted a church from the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona and they said to give it to a catholic friend?? I know I read somewhere that personal ownership was frowned on by the Vatican. I thought it was considered a holy relic to catholic’s?
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If you have a 1st class relic, the above advice doesn’t sound prudent.

I think it’s very respectable and admirable of you to try and do the right thing.

You could also try contact the Apostolic Nuncio to the USA (ambassador of the Vatican to the USA at

Embassy
Apostolic Nunciature, the Holy See
3339 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20008

Telephone: (202) 333-7121

Cardinal Pietro Sambi is the currant nuncio

I expect his staff would either have know the proper way of dealing with this or could find out
 
Thats a great lead Marie thank you for help, your a light in the dark. The advise I received to pass it off made me nervous and rethink it’s religious value despite what I have read.

I will call the Embassy on Monday morning 🙂

Thank you
 
MaryKay101 said:
Thats a great lead Marie thank you for help, your a light in the dark. The advise I received to pass it off made me nervous and rethink it’s religious value despite what I have read.

I will call the Embassy on Monday morning 🙂

Thank you
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No, Thank YOU, for wanting to the right and most respectful by St Cathrine and all who have a devotion and appreciation for the Miraculous Medal. 🙂
 
MaryKay101 said:
Thats a great lead Marie thank you for help, your a light in the dark. The advise I received to pass it off made me nervous and rethink it’s religious value despite what I have read.

I will call the Embassy on Monday morning 🙂

Thank you
Click to expand...
can you post a picture im very curious now :bounce:
 
Actually Catholics can get first class relics directly from Rome. One can contact Rome and they will send these relics. Granted there are some intermediary steps in there but as far as I know lay people are not discouraged from owning first class relics. I know of one deacon who actually has many. However, as you are doing they should be treated with great care and reverence. There is also a seal on there that should not be broken that authenticates them. They are never to be sold though as you have pointed out.

Also with the incorruptibles. Most of the Saints that are considered incorrupt - it is not so much that the whole body is incorrupt - a part of the body may be. For instance a Saint that may have done many healing works in their life - their dominant hand may have been found to have been incorrupt. I don’t know anything about this particular Saint so I cannot comment.

No, I don’t have documentation but this has been my lecture on this from someone who is pretty educated and I am paraphrasing a bit. If you contact your diocese they will know what to do if you do not want it. They may make it part of an altar in a new parish if it has the correct seals.

God bless.
 
For anyone who has not heard of her, she is the St Cathrine whom Our Lady appeared to and told her to have the Miraculous Medal made.

According to this Canon Law Im guessing her relics may fall under “distinguished” considering the devotion to the Miraculous Medal

Can. 1190 §1 It is absolutely wrong to sell sacred relics.

§2 Distinguished relics, and others which are held in great veneration by the people, may not validly be in any way alienated nor transferred on a permanent basis, without the permission of the Apostolic See.
 
Marie5890 said:
For anyone who has not heard of her, she is the St Cathrine whom Our Lady appeared to and told her to have the Miraculous Medal made.

According to this Canon Law Im guessing her relics may fall under “distinguished” considering the devotion to the Miraculous Medal

Can. 1190 §1 It is absolutely wrong to sell sacred relics.

§2 Distinguished relics, and others which are held in great veneration by the people, may not validly be in any way alienated nor transferred on a permanent basis, without the permission of the Apostolic See.
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To the above poster thank you for the picture of St Catherine. It is 1190 -2 that the seal covers when 1st class relics are received from the Vatican. Thank you for the Canonical information. Now it all makes sense when put together.
 
MaryKay101 said:
Thats a great lead Marie thank you for help, your a light in the dark. The advise I received to pass it off made me nervous and rethink it’s religious value despite what I have read.

I will call the Embassy on Monday morning 🙂

Thank you
Click to expand...
MaryKay, please don’t give it away. Keep it! It belongs in your family. First class relics of St. Catherine Laboure are very hard to come by. I tried getting one a very long time ago and was told that there weren’t any more available.

I do not know how your grandmother came by this treasure, but I am sure she would not want you to give it up.

Please reconsider.
 
Lormar said:
MaryKay, please don’t give it away. Keep it! It belongs in your family. First class relics of St. Catherine Laboure are very hard to come by. I tried getting one a very long time ago and was told that there weren’t any more available.

I do not know how your grandmother came by this treasure, but I am sure she would not want you to give it up.

Please reconsider.
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Lormar,

I dont get the sense she is “giving it away”. She does not see herself as a devout Catholic. But her great grandmother was. In respect to her great grandmother’s devotion, she is giving BACK to the church. 👍
 
Dear MaryKay - I am so glad to hear that you are trying to do the right thing with this relic. But what concerns me the most is that you say you are not a devout Catholic. I do not wish to take this discussion off topic, but only to say that I pray you will reconsider the Faith of your beloved Grandmother whom you clearly love very much. Surely if she is in heaven, she will be praying for your conversion. I will as well.

God bless!
~Liza
 
Marie5890 said:
Lormar,

I dont get the sense she is “giving it away”. She does not see herself as a devout Catholic. But her great grandmother was. In respect to her great grandmother’s devotion, she is giving BACK to the church. 👍
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me, but I do think she should keep it. It doesn’t matter how she sees herself today. In ten years or less, it may be otherwise. I doubt very much that her great grandmother would encourage her to give it away.
 
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