Real Relic (piece) of Jesus Christ Cross

[joe5]

Dear friends,

i know what i am asking might be impossible, but i know many people who has a real relic of Jesus Christ Cross and i am not finding anyone who might give me even a very small fraction of ti .

I tried to search online, but to be honest i only found on eBay and i do not trust people there and i cannot be sure if the relic is real or not that they have!!!

anyone has an idea if i can contact any specific monastery or any trusted official website where i can find an authentic relic of Jesus Christ Cross ?

Thank you…

I wish you all a Happy Palm Day

 

[grasscutter]

I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I highly doubt that any of these people have an authentic piece of the cross that Jesus was crucified on.

 

[Dorothy]

Dear friends,

i know what i am asking might be impossible, but i know many people who has a real relic of Jesus Christ Cross and i am not finding anyone who might give me even a very small fraction of ti .

I tried to search online, but to be honest i only found on eBay and i do not trust people there and i cannot be sure if the relic is real or not that they have!!!

anyone has an idea if i can contact any specific monastery or any trusted official website where i can find an authentic relic of Jesus Christ Cross ?

Thank you…

I wish you all a Happy Palm Day

Better yet than any supposed relic of the true cross is to receive the Holy Eucharist which is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

[Filioque]

Normally (in days past) authentic first class relics of the True Cross are reserved for the pectoral cross of a bishop, Archbishop or Cardinal, or are given to special churches or shrines.

While the term first class relic is usually reserved for the physical body or part (hair, skin, bone etc) of a Saint, in the case or our Lord and Lady they include those things they touched, or used. There are a few authentic relics of the veil of our Lady and the Cross, Crown of Thorns, the Shroud of our Lord. Which have the First Class designation.

There are a couple of possibilities, and without seeing the relics themselves it’s hard to determine what they really are. First they could be third class relics, which would be a piece of wood or cloth touched to an authentic first class relic.

The second possibility is far more likely. There was a priest by the name of Nicolas Ferrante, who was the involved in the process for the canonization of St. John Neumann of Philadelphia, Fr. Ferrante certified the relics he dispensed of St. J N and his relics only. Someone, obtained a copy of one of the letters of authentication for a relic of St. J N, and .copied the certificate, they blanked out the spaces which described the relic and the theca (container that holds the relic) and inserted the description of the fake or fabricated relic. Of course (fake) relics of the true cross, the Apostles and famous Saints were items that they could sell for higher prices, (another abuse as relics cannot be sold according to canon law) so they made hundreds and hundreds of these forged relics and certificates. Basically if anyone has what appears to be a first class relic of anything except St. John with the certificate and wax seal of Nicolas Ferrante, they have a fake. and if they have what looks like a relic of the true cross which has no authentic documenting the relic with an intact seal and corresponding documents authenticating with the same seal, they probably have a fake.

BTW the theca, a small usually round gold plated container with glass over the front are easily purchased in bulk in Rome and other places. So it’s not hard to fake a relic if you know a few simple things. This Is one reason it is hard to obtain an authentic first class relic. One needs a letter from the Chancery or Ordinary of one’s diocese, who will direct one to authentic sources in the Holy See to obtain the relic. One also has to have a place which is suitable for the relic and a good reason to have on for private veneration.

 

[jaimeleglise]

First and second class relics are rarely, if ever, in the possession of individuals. Usually they are kept in churches or by religious communities. However, if you wish, you can obtain oil touched to a relic of The True Cross and other similar sacramentals from the Cukierski Family website. God has healed people through the faith shown when using sacramentals.
God bless you.

 

[Mark121359]

I have a first class relic of the True Cross. It was obtained from an apostolate. She was well known for obtaining relics for many parishes in my area, including mine. Others I obtained from her are first class relics of St. Therese of Lisieux, St Maria Goretti, St. Bernadette and a few others. One thing that I remember is how vigorously she screened those who she was obtaining relics for. She interviewed you for a good hour! Some of the questioning was personal. All of these relics came with documentation. There is absolutely no doubt about their authenticity. Several priests I know, knew her very well, and spoke very highly of her. All of these relics were obtained for a donation. The donation pays for the theca, usually $15, depending on how elaborate the reliquary is. These were all obtained in the early 90’s. And I believe it would be extremely difficult to obtain these today. The first class relic of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was obtained from The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, MD. My brother obtained a first class relic of St. John Neumann at the National Shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia. Again, this was in the early 90’s. As far as I know, you can no longer obtain them there.

Peace, Mark

 

[TimothyH]

I believe that there are true relics of the cross.

Most of the relics are of the same type of wood, and there are not as many pieces as people think, certainly not a “shipload” as has been claimed. There are accounts from the third and fourth century of bishops presiding over veneration of the wood of the Cross.

It is not at all far fetched to believe that the wood of the Cross still exists.

-Tim-

 

[PrayHarder]

I believe that there are true relics of the cross.

Most of the relics are of the same type of wood, and there are not as many pieces as people think, certainly not a “shipload” as has been claimed. There are accounts from the third and fourth century of bishops presiding over veneration of the wood of the Cross.

It is not at all far fetched to believe that the wood of the Cross still exists.

-Tim-

I certainly believe that authentic pieces of the Cross still exist. However, I’m highly skeptical of most of the people who say they have one. I’m not saying that the people who have them are knowingly possessing fakes. But I bet most of them were faked up at some point in the last 2000 years.

I remember a priest saying that if you gathered all the pieces of the “real Cross” from around the world, you could probably build a nice log cabin from them. Of that log cabin, maybe a small board’s worth of that wood is the real Cross. But we have no way of knowing which ones are.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

First and second class relics are rarely, if ever, in the possession of individuals. Usually they are kept in churches or by religious communities. However, if you wish, you can obtain oil touched to a relic of The True Cross and other similar sacramentals from the Cukierski Family website. God has healed people through the faith shown when using sacramentals.
God bless you.

I have a first class relic of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. Of course I would never sell it or suffer it to be sold. I inherited it from a relative who had been awarded the Order of St.Louis IX Medalion by the archdiocese of New Orleans (Exactly how she got it I don’t know; I didn’t know about it until she willed it to me.)

 

[patrick457]

I certainly believe that authentic pieces of the Cross still exist. However, I’m highly skeptical of most of the people who say they have one. I’m not saying that the people who have them are knowingly possessing fakes. But I bet most of them were faked up at some point in the last 2000 years.

I remember a priest saying that if you gathered all the pieces of the “real Cross” from around the world, you could probably build a nice log cabin from them. Of that log cabin, maybe a small board’s worth of that wood is the real Cross. But we have no way of knowing which ones are.

That was really rhetorical than literal. Certain authors in the Renaissance like Erasmus or John Calvin criticized much of the stuff going on with relics in the medieval Church. Both writers remarked that too many churches in Europe claim to have pieces and splinters of the True Cross that one might make a forest or fill a ship out of them. But in the 19th century, a French architect and author (Charles Rohault de Fleury) decided to actually calculate all known supposed relics of the Cross that were still in existence: his conclusion was, supposing the Cross was three or four metres tall with a transverse branch of two metres wide and weighting around 74 kilos, the fragments brought together again would not even reach one-third of a cross that size.

 

[Holly3278]

I have a Third Class Relic of the True Cross which is a piece of cloth which was touched to the Precious Relic of the Wood of the True Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the care of the Shrine of the True Cross in Dickenson, Texas. If you contact them, they might send you one as well:

truecrosschurch.org/index.cfm?active=1

 

[Mark121359]

I remember a priest saying that if you gathered all the pieces of the “real Cross” from around the world, you could probably build a nice log cabin from them. Of that log cabin, maybe a small board’s worth of that wood is the real Cross. But we have no way of knowing which ones are.

I’ve heard this assertion as well. The largest collection of relics is under the guardianship of Mr. Thomas Serafin, President of International Center for Holy Relics (ICHR). Serafin is an American lay Roman Catholic author and Christian relics advocate, collector and expert. He is the founder of the International Crusade for Holy Relics and Saints Alive, which was the first internet website on the propagating the cultus of relics. He received an Apostolic Blessing by Blessed Pope John Paul ll in 1993 for his work with the Apostolate for Holy Relics. He is actively involved in stopping the sale of religious relics on the internet and has exerted efforts in the re-education of countless people in the act of simony. My brother met him when he brought his collection for an exhibit at The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in D.C. I wish I could have been there. This man knows his business! If he doesn’t know the answer pertaining to relics…then nobody knows the answer! On his website this question is asked;

*** Q;*** Wouldn’t All The Relics Of the Cross Be Enough Wood For 2 or 3 Crosses?

A; In 1870 a Frenchman, Rohault de Fleury, catalogued all the relics of the True Cross including relics that were said to have existed but were lost. He measured the existing relics and estimated the volume of the missing ones. Then he added up the figures and discovered that the fragments, if glued together, would not have made up more than one-third of a cross.

You have to understand, this relic of the True Cross is a splinter, if you don’t look closely enough, you’ll miss it. True, there are larger relics of the True Cross. One is in the Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem (The Holy Cross in Jerusalem), located in Rome. There, they have a sizable portion of the Holy Cross enshrined along with various other associated relics of the Passion.

Here are links to Thomas Serafin’s sites;
ichrusa.com/
apostolateforholyrelics.com/
ichrusa.com/saintsalive/

Peace, Mark

 

[Mark121359]

. But in the 19th century, a French architect and author (Charles Rohault de Fleury) decided to actually calculate all known supposed relics of the Cross that were still in existence: his conclusion was, supposing the Cross was three or four metres tall with a transverse branch of two metres wide and weighting around 74 kilos, the fragments brought together again would not even reach one-third of a cross that size.

You beat me to it! :

Peace, Mark

 

[Mark121359]

Sorry…I must be misunderstanding the word “relic”. Do you all mean an actual piece of wood from the actual cross Jesus was crucified on?

.

Yes!

Peace, Mark

 

[djames99]

I believe that there are true relics of the cross.

Most of the relics are of the same type of wood, and there are not as many pieces as people think, certainly not a “shipload” as has been claimed. There are accounts from the third and fourth century of bishops presiding over veneration of the wood of the Cross.

It is not at all far fetched to believe that the wood of the Cross still exists.

-Tim-

Some one told me that if they gathered all the relics of the true cross in the world, they could construct many crosses.

But I think the outer one piece red tunic of Christ that is claimed to have been made by his Mother, and is displayed behind a glass screen in the Vatican is a true relic. The same goes for the remains of Peter. The relics that were collected by emperor Constantine and his mother I think would be the most authentic samples. My confidence because of their zeal in ensuring the authenticity of places and things in those times.

 

[Mark121359]

Mark…re your documentation…who supposedly hacked off pieces of wood from Jesus’ cross?

.

The apostolate that I dealt with had priests who made frequent trips to Rome. She obtained these relics for parishes and Shrines here in the States. These priests went to the Roman Curia. To answer your question, It is the Office of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments who is responsible for regulating the veneration of holy relics and confirming Patron Saints . So if, as some have claimed on here, that these relics are forgeries, the perpetrator would be none other than the Roman Curia of the Holy See itself! Because that’s where these relics I have obtained came from. Contact Mr. Thomas Serafin who is mentioned in post #13. He is an absolute expert on Holy Relics. Email him and ask him if there aren’t lay people who have in their possession a relic of the actual True Cross that our Lord was crucified on. He usually responds fairly quickly. Several priests I know, when asking me where I obtained these relics, when I told them where, they’re response would be, “Ah yes, I know Sonia well!” There was no doubt about the legitimacy of her apostolate.

Peace, Mark

 

[Mark121359]

Some one told me that if they gathered all the relics of the true cross in the world, they could construct many crosses.

But I think the outer one piece red tunic of Christ that is claimed to have been made by his Mother, and is displayed behind a glass screen in the Vatican is a true relic. The same goes for the remains of Peter. The relics that were collected by emperor Constantine and his mother I think would be the most authentic samples. My confidence because of their zeal in ensuring the authenticity of places and things in those times.

See posts # 11 and 13.

Peace, Mark

 

[Timothysis]

I have a first class relic of the True Cross. It was obtained from an apostolate… All of these relics came with documentation.

So, what kind of “documentation” is there to prove beyond reasonable doubt that someone has a piece of the True Cross form 2,000 years ago?

The whole story of St. Helena “finding” the cross happened 300 years after the Crucifixion. What makes this story any more credible than the “discovery” of the Holy Lance during the crusades?

 

[ajecphotos]

Like someone else said, what better than to receive the body and blood of our Lord.

Myself, I would never trust the authenticity of a relic. Our church has a tiny piece of the cross of Jesus and I asked the priest how does he know it is ‘The true cross’ and he said because it has a certificate! Yea, that makes it real then!

 

[Mark121359]

So, what kind of “documentation” is there to prove beyond reasonable doubt that someone has a piece of the True Cross form 2,000 years ago?

The whole story of St. Helena “finding” the cross happened 300 years after the Crucifixion. What makes this story any more credible than the “discovery” of the Holy Lance during the crusades?

As far as I can tell, The authenticity of the True Cross is not universally accepted by all of the Christian faithful. Some question the accuracy surrounding Saint Helena’s discovery of the True Cross. Acceptance and belief is restricted to the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. I have to rely on the Catholic Church on this and trust her position here, and believe just as I place my trust in her on other positions she holds. Whether it be the Passion Relics, the Shroud of Turin, or the apparitions at Lourdes or Fatima, I trust in my Church’s conclusions when it comes to such matters. As I suggested to DaddyGirl, contact Mr. Thomas Serafin. Blessed Pope John Paul ll sure seems to have appreciated him for his work with the Apostolate for Holy Relics. He’s very knowledgeable. He will answer this question and any question you have about relics.

Peace, Mark