A question about relics

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It is my impression that most churches have the relics of their namesake. For example, a church named after St Anthony would have a relic of St Anthony in their alter. What about churches named after the Blessed Virgin Mary? Or what about churches named after Jesus Christ? What do they have for relics?

Thanks. 🙂
 
Great question. I know that a piece of a saint is in the altar where the consecration takes place, whether that is the saint named for the church or another I don’t know.
 
Altars don’t have to use relics of the parish’s namesake in the altar, so any relics could have been used.

Another difficulty related to this is that the requirement for relics to be placed in the altar has been removed since the promulgation of the NO. This wasn’t called for by the Council, but you know how these things go. :rolleyes: So some altars, especially the non-fixed type, have been constructed without relics since that time. This causes some difficulty with the free celebration of the TLM since the priest is supposed to kiss the altar at a certain point while saying this prayer:

“We beseech Thee, O Lord, by the merits of Thy Saints, whose relics are here… (Here, he bows and kisses the Altar where a Saint’s relics are enclosed)…and of all the Saints, that Thou wilt deign to pardon me all my sins. Amen.”
“Orámus te, Dómine, per mérita Sanctórum tuórum…quorum relíquiæ hic sunt, et ómnium Sanctórum: ut indulgére dignéris ómnia peccáta mea. Amen.”

Just an interesting side note.
 
When we were in catechism as kids they showed us something in the altar and told us it was (i think a neck bone something like that) from St. Agnes.
 
Most churches do, in the altar have this thing called the altar stone in which relics of Saints are kept in thecae. A lot of churches may have relics not in the altar but in beautifully decorated thecae that they would bring out for religious holy days, i.e. a true cross relic for Lent and Good Friday. It is not a law any more regulated by the Vatican that churches have to have a relic in their altar but I know a lot do. The relics also do not have to be of the name sake. I know that my parish named St. Mark has a relic of St. Mark in the altar or one of St. Patrick has a St. Patrick relic. Some churches you couldn’t really do the namesake of for a relic like Prince of Peace or Our Lady of (Fatima, Lourdes, &c.,)
 
Oh ok, I assumed that the churches would have a relic of the saint they were named after. I didn’t realize that a relic from any saint would do. :whacky:

Thanks for the info. 👍
 
Our parish is Holy Spirit Catholic Church…so we have a relic of St. John Vianney 👍
 
mgsk said:
Altars don’t have to use relics of the parish’s namesake in the altar, so any relics could have been used.

Another difficulty related to this is that the requirement for relics to be placed in the altar has been removed since the promulgation of the NO. This wasn’t called for by the Council, but you know how these things go. :rolleyes: So some altars, especially the non-fixed type, have been constructed without relics since that time. This causes some difficulty with the free celebration of the TLM since the priest is supposed to kiss the altar at a certain point while saying this prayer:

“We beseech Thee, O Lord, by the merits of Thy Saints, whose relics are here… (Here, he bows and kisses the Altar where a Saint’s relics are enclosed)…and of all the Saints, that Thou wilt deign to pardon me all my sins. Amen.”
“Orámus te, Dómine, per mérita Sanctórum tuórum…quorum relíquiæ hic sunt, et ómnium Sanctórum: ut indulgére dignéris ómnia peccáta mea. Amen.”

Just an interesting side note.
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Well that stinks. I assumed it was a requirement for all alters to have a piece from a saint in honor and tradition of the catacombs when the early Christians would celebrate mass on the tombs of deceased christians. I wonder why you would go away from that tradition? I wonder what happens to these relics when churches close or get remodeled? When I was a member of a Pius V group the priest always had an alter cloth that had a relic from a saint. He used that on our portable alter.
 
I the case of churches dedicated to Our Lord or Our Lady it would be impossible to have physical relics due to the resurrection and the assumption.
 
When a relic is placed in an altar, it does not have to be a relic of the Church’s patron saint.
 
catholicanne said:
It is my impression that most churches have the relics of their namesake. For example, a church named after St Anthony would have a relic of St Anthony in their alter. What about churches named after the Blessed Virgin Mary? Or what about churches named after Jesus Christ? What do they have for relics?

Thanks. 🙂
Click to expand...
It is not a requirement that churches have relics of whoever the church is named after. That would simply not make sense.
 
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