St. Padre Pio

The Archdiocese of Toronto is fortunate to have relics of St. Padre Pio coming to the city next week. The relics, which include part of the mantle he wore as a Capuchin friar and a glove used to cover his wounds, will be on display at St. Philip Neri parish September 18th and 19th, just days before the 50th anniversary of his death.

Padre Pio was canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002, three decades after the cause for canonization was first opened. There are thousands of miracles attributed to St. Padre Pio's intercession, and that his relics are coming here is a blessing to many of Toronto's faithful.

ARCAT found a prayer card from early on in St. Padre Pio's cause for canonization, which includes a small third-class relic. The back asks those who received favours through Padre Pio's intercession to write to the Postulator so that it could be presented as proof to be further investigated by Rome.


 

 

This prayer card from when Padre Pio was a Servant of God contains a third-class relic.

Padre Pio File from Chancery Office Non-Archdiocesan Organizations Collection, ARCAT.

You can find more information on how to see the touring relics here.

Relic Documents

The arm of St. Francis Xavier arrived in Toronto today as part of a 15-city Canadian visit. We got a sneak peek at the relic this morning at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica.

ARCAT Staff photo

D'Arcy Murphy, Guardian for the St. Francis Xavier relic during its time in Canada, polishes the reliquary at St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica this morning before public veneration begins.  The relic will be in the archdiocese this weekend as part of its Canadian tour. The 500-year old forearm rarely leaves Rome.

St. Francis Xavier is one of the great missionary saints of the Church and co-founder of the Jesuit order. This arm - an incorrupt, first-class relic - is venerated as one that blessed and baptized an estimated 100,000 converts. It is rare to see such a large relic outside of a saint's cult site; most first-class relics contained within church altars and reliquaries are tiny fragments of bone or flesh.

The famous relic of St. Francis Xavier will be in the Archdiocese of Toronto for three days, hosted at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica (Jan. 12), St. Francis Xavier Church, Mississauga (Jan. 13) and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Toronto (January 14). More information about the visit and a full schedule of events can be found at: www.cco.ca/relic

For a firsthand account one person's encounter with this remarkable relic, read this CBC article by our colleague, Wanita Bates, from the Presentation Congregation Archives in St. John’s, NL.

Authenticating Relics
Relics have been venerated by the faithful since the earliest days of Christianity and are known for their association with healing and other miracles. Every Catholic church has a relic sealed in its altar as a sign of honour to the saints.This practice evokes a time when Mass was celebrated in secret, over the tombs of martyrs.

Photo courtesy of Catholic Christian Outreach

Regardless of the type of reliquary encasing the relic, it must be sealed with string or wire threaded through the container and stamped with wax, to prove it has not been tampered with.
Notice the seal on the acrylic reliquary containing the arm of St. Francis Xavier, above. 

A diocese may acquire relics directly from the Holy See, from a religious community, or from the cult site where the saint’s body is located. The issuing authority is responsible for securing the relic in a reliquary - often a small metal container known as a theca - with string or wire and a wax seal. The issuer also creates an accompanying relic document that must include the following elements:

1. The name and authority of the person issuing the relic (either of a bishop, of a religious superior, or of a postulator)
2. The crimped or stamped seal of the issuer and the date of sealing
3. The signature of the issuer
4. A description of contents: type of particle (which determines the relic's class) and name of saint.
5. The shape of the theca (round, oval, cross shaped, etc.)

At the archives, we house a small collection of relics on behalf of the chancery, which may be distributed to parishes for dedicating a new altar, or for displaying in devotional reliquaries. In order to be considered fit for distribution, the relic's authenticity and integrity must be verified. We do this by checking that the wax and string of the reliquary are intact and that the seal impressed in the wax matches that on the relic document. The description of the relic and its container must also match the actual relic.

First-class relic of St. Catherine Labouré and accompanying relic document, Relics Special Collection

This relic is a particle from the bones (ex ossibus) of St. Catherine Labouré who was a member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. The document was issued by the superior general of the Congregation of the Mission in 1953.  The string threaded through the theca is intact and the wax seal matches the stamp on the document.
Red wax is a good indicator of authenticity because the colour fades with age at a regular rate, it always holds the shape of the seal, and it becomes brittle and tamper-proof immediately upon cooling.

First-class relic of St. Maria Goretti and accompanying relic document, Relics Special Collection

This relic is a particle from the bones (ex ossibus) of St. Maria Goretti, virgin martyr, issued by her postulator, Maurus ab Immaculata, and enclosed in a round metal theca. A postulator is one who collects evidence and presents a case for the canonization or beatification of a person.

First- and second-class relics of St. Teresa of the Infant Jesus and accompanying relic document, Relics Special Collection

These three relics are particles from the bones (ex ossibus), hair (ex capillis) and garment (ex veste) of St. Teresa of the Infant Jesus, virgin martyr, issued by her postulator in 1929. 
The bone and hair fragments are considered first-class relics because they come from the body of the saint; the garment is a second-class relic, from an object the saint personally owned. Also included in this category are instruments used to inflict death on a martyr.
Third-class relics are those items that a saint touched or that have been touched to a first-class relic of a saint. 

As an archivist in a modern, corporate archives, there is something very gratifying about having to rely on wax seals and Latin records to serve contemporary needs!

To learn more about the role of relics in the evangelization of the Church, visit Treasures of the Church.

Read our previous post about relics in Archiving Altar Stones.

Archiving Altar Stones

Some of the most challenging materials that diocesan archivists encounter are those that contain relics.

Every Catholic church has a relic sealed in its altar as sign of honour to the saints. The practice evokes early Christianity, when Mass was celebrated in secret over the tombs of martyrs. The sacrifice of that saint is associated with the sacrifice of Christ, celebrated on the altar during the Eucharist.

We think of altars as permanent fixtures within a church. However, in the early 20th century, Canon Law (1917) required that Mass be said over a properly consecrated altar, so movable altar stones were created in order to allow priests to celebrate Mass outside of a church. Their portable size meant the stones could be carried to any location and placed on a table or other support, creating a lawfully acceptable place for Mass.

Altar stones are book-sized blocks of marble consecrated by episcopal authority using the same ritual as a fixed altar. This included sealing first class relics (pieces of the saints' bodies, usually bones) of at least two martyred saints into a cavity in the stone.  A testimonial document witnessing the stone's consecration would be sealed inside with the relic, or attached to the surface of the stone.

Altar Stones Collection, AS14

Altar stones are usually made of Carrara marble.  The relic is cemented into a cavity along the bottom edge.

Altar Stones Collection, AS40

Example of a testimonium or consecration document which is often attached directly to the back the stone. This altar stone was consecrated in 1937 and contains relics from the bones of St. Concordia and St. Clarus, martyrs:

 Testimonium Consecrationis Tabulae Altaris. Haec tabula complectit reliquias de ossibus Ste. Concordiae M. et Sti. Clari M.; consecrata est Toronto die 18 mensis augusti A.D. 1937 per Rt. Rev. E. M. Brennan. Jacobus Carolus McGuigan, Archiepiscopus Torontinus de mandato. Excmi ac Revmi. Archiepiscopi Torontini [signed] E. M. Brennan Vicar Generalis per M. J. Nealon.

Falling out of use
Following Vatican II and the resulting revised edition of the Code of Canon Law (1983), the practice of using altar stones ceased and relics were required to be sealed in permanent, fixed altars only. Currently, Canon Law requires simply that an altar cloth and corporal be placed on a surface in order for Mass to be celebrated off-site.

Since portable altars were usually used by cardinals and bishops, the Chancery Office at the Archdiocese had accumulated a number of stones over the years. When altar stones went out of use, the Chancery's collection was placed in the archives. Others were donated by parishes and religious orders who no longer had need of them.

Challenges of archiving altar stones

Altar stones are different than most of the material we keep in the archives because they contain relics, which are holy items intended for a spiritual use. Relics are meant to be venerated rather than stored indefinitely. Therefore, over the years, we have redistributed the altar stones to parishes and religious communities who were dedicating new altars and needed first-class relics. These "recycled" altar stones would have been permanently affixed or encased in their altars.

On a practical level, the stones are large and heavy, about the size of a textbook and made of marble. Their weight must be considered when housing, storing and accessing them.

Some of the stones are not appropriate for reuse because they are damaged, the seal on the relic is loose, or the stone is missing the testimonial document that identifies the relic. It is challenging to respectfully dispose of damaged altar stones. Proper disposal includes burial on consecrated ground, since they contain holy, human remains.

We now preserve only a small sample of altar stones for posterity, as evidence of Catholic ritual practice in a certain place and time.

Newly discovered altar stone 

In a previous post, we wrote about the Paulist Fathers leaving the archdiocese and the Catholic Information Centre that they founded. 

While cleaning out the basement chapel of the Centre, an altar stone was discovered in a drawer and sent to the archives.  It was consecrated by Archbishop Neil McNeil in 1924 and contains relics from the bones of St. Victoria, St. Innocent and St. Propser.  

Read about the newest addition to our collection in this Catholic Register article, "Long forgotten altar stone a relic of Church’s past."

Altar Stones Collection, AS44

Altar stone found at the former Paulist Centre at St. Peter's Parish, Toronto. The consecration document attached reads,

Head of Wellesley Place March 26/24
The Relic of the following martyrs are entombed in the sepulchre of this altar-stone: Stae. Victoriae, Sti. Innocentii, Sti. Propseri [signed] +N. McNeil Archbishop of Toronto per T. J. Manley, Secretary

August 21st - The Feast of Pope Saint Pius X

Pope Saint Pius X in full Papal dress
PH 59/04P

August 21st is the feast day of Pope Saint Pius X, who led the Church from August 4, 1903 until his death on August 20th, 1914. We have a number of items in the archives associated with Pius X, some of which we are highlighting today.

In an August 1903 letter to Archbishop O'Connor, the Apostolic Delegate to Canada wrote "The Sacred College, directed by the Holy Spirit, has chosen a worthy successor to Leo XIII. The new Pontiff had gained the esteem and love of the Catholics in the diocese which he so wisely ruled for many years. He will, by his great piety and prudence, by his administrative ability and his breadth of view, maintain high, as did his illustrious and venerated predecessor, the prestige of the Church, and gain for her new triumphs."

Pius X appointed both Fergus McEvay and Neil McNeil as Archbishop of Toronto during his time as Pontiff. This kind of announcement was made by papal bull, which is an official document accompanied by a metal seal. The two below are handwritten on parchment.

Papal bull appointing Fergus McEvay Archbishop of Toronto.
April 13, 1908
ME RC91.03

Papal Bull appointing Neil McNeil Archbishop of Toronto.
April 10, 1912
PB02

Pius X was originally buried under St. Peter's Basilica, but his tomb was moved inside to the altar of the Presentation Chapel following his 1951 beatification. He is dressed in Papal vestments with silver covering his hands and face. 

Body of Pius X on display after his beatification in 1951.
PH 59/06P

Devotion to St. Pope Pius X started  shortly after his death and has remained popular. There are a church and a school named after him in Toronto.

A first class relic of Pope Saint Pius X. The relic has a wax seal and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
AF 268

Some fun facts about Pope Saint Pius X:

He was born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto in 1835 to a postman and a seamstress.    

    
He was Patriarch of Venice from 1893 - 1903.              

                              
He was elected Pope in the last conclave in which a Catholic monarch used his right to veto candidates. Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria vetoed Cardinal Rampolla, Pope Leo XIII's Secretary of State. Pius X later removed this right.         

                                       
His Papal motto was Instaurare Omnia in Christo, or To Restore All Things in Christ.

He was responsible for a revision and codification of canon law which was published in 1917.

He valued causes of the poor and the education of children.

He lowered the age of eligibility for first communion from 12 to 7.  

In 1910 he had priests sign an oath against modernism, which was required until 1967. He was supportive of social justice causes, but was against the relativistic intellectual movement which denied that early Church teachings still held true.

His poor health was exacerbated by the outbreak of the First World War, which lead to his death. 

Several miracles were attributed to him, and he was beatified in 1951 and canonized in 1954.