Major relics tour part of ‘Pilgrimage of Mercy’ to prepare for upcoming jubilee
St. Maria's remains, which will visit the Archdiocese of Detroit from Oct. 8-11, are inside a glass-sided casket. Inside the casket is a wax statue within which repose her skeletal remains.Photos courtesy of MariaGoretti.com
Metro Detroit — The veneration of saints and relics is a timeless and uniquely Catholic tradition, connecting the modern-day faithful with the saints and martyrs who walked the Earth centuries ago.
Often, Catholics have to travel overseas to venerate certain major relics, but this October, the body of St. Maria Goretti will be visiting three churches in the Detroit area. “This is the second time the body of St. Maria Goretti will be in the United States and Canada, and it will be the first time it will be in Michigan,” said Fr. Carlos Martins, CC, director of Treasures of the Church, an evangelization ministry dedicated to giving Catholics in North America a chance to venerate relics. Veneration of relics is a form of prayer in which the faithful pray to saints to intercede to God on their behalf — similar to asking someone on Earth to pray for you, only this someone is in heaven. Fr. Martins says venerating relics is an opportunity to be closer to God by being in the physical presence of the body of a person specially touched by the divine.
“Saints are the masterpieces of God’s creation,” Fr. Martins said. “In Genesis, God look upon what he saw, and said it was good. When you look upon the saint, what he saw was very good. In the New Testament, we hear from St. Paul, who says the saints are members of the body of Jesus Christ.” Those who visit the major relic will see the very body St. Maria Goretti’s spirit will inhabit on the Day of Judgment, he said. “The saints are incarnate in Christ, that God has made Himself to be matter,” Fr. Martins said. “That is a mystery in and of itself, but what’s not a mystery, is that He is matter. In that Incarnation, He takes on a human form, so we can take on a divine form. She is already in spirit in full with God. And the bones people will see are the very bones that will be resurrected.”
St. Maria Goretti’s body is encased in a glass reliquary and will be on display at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth on Oct. 8, SS. Cyril and Methodius (Slovak) Parish in Sterling Heights on Oct. 10 and St. Scholastica Parish in Detroit on Oct. 11. Her bones are enclosed in a wax statue in her likeness. “Fr. Martins has visited us twice before and provided a phenomenal lesson to catechists on the spiritual benefits of relics,” said Fr. Ben Kosnac, pastor of SS. Cyril and Methodius. “Our parishioners are excited about the relic coming here, and we even have people from Ohio arriving by bus to visit us and the relic.” According to the relic’s website, mariagoretti.com, articles of devotion that touch the relic will become third-class relics. First-class relics are the body or fragments of a saint, while second-class relics are items personally owned by a saint. Praying with a third-class relic is believed to be asking the saint to intercede to the Lord on the faithful’s behalf.
St. Maria Goretti is the youngest canonized saint in the Catholic Church, remembered for forgiving her attacker, Alessandro Serenelli, before dying on July 6, 1902, at the age of 11. The unrepentant Serenelli later reported he saw a vision of St. Maria Goretti, proclaiming she forgave him of his sin and wanted him to join her in heaven. Serenelli repented and sought forgiveness for his sins, later joining the Capuchin Franciscans as a lay brother. Many miracles have been attributed to St. Maria Goretti’s intercession.
St. Maria Goretti’s feast day is July 6; she is the patron of victims of rape, crime victims, teenage girls, modern youth and children of Mary.
“St. Maria Goretti is a tremendous inspiration to the youth,” Fr. Kosnac said. “She is a hero for the young people, and proof young people can be heroes. She serves as an example, kind of like a Catholic superhero. And her story, and the event’s title ‘Pilgrimage of Mercy,’ echoes the upcoming Year of Mercy and the message Pope Francis wants us to embrace.”
St. Maria Goretti, the Church's youngest saint, is known as the patroness of purity and mercy after her forgiveness of her attacker eventually led to his conversion.St. Sharbel relics
The relics of St. Sharbel are also coming to the Metro Detroit area Oct. 9-11, offering opportunities for veneration and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament at St. Matthias Parish in Sterling Heights.
St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church in Warren is hosting the event, but using St. Matthias’ location.
The relics will arrive at 9 a.m. on Oct. 9, with a Mass of reception and liturgy to take place at noon. At 7 p.m., Archbishop Allen Vigneron will preside over Mass. All day long there will be opportunities for veneration, prayers and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and opportunities for reconciliation.
This is the first time these relics of St. Sharbel will visit the United States from their usual resting place in Annaya, Lebanon. St. Sharbel was a Maronite monk whose body was found to be incorrupt. He’s been canonized in the Latin and Eastern Catholic churches; his feast day is July 24 on the Roman calendar and third Sunday in July on the Maronite calendar.
On Oct. 10, St. Sharbel Chorbishop Alfred Badawi will preside over a 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Mass, with veneration opportunities for the rest of the day. Chaldean Bishop Francis Kalabat will celebrate Mass at 7 p.m. Masses will be held at 9:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Oct. 11.
Major relics of St. Maria Goretti
Visit mariagoretti.com to learn more about St. Maria Goretti’s life.
The body of St. Maria Goretti will visit the following local parishes:
Thursday, Oct. 8: Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Plymouth: Public veneration of St. Maria, 1 p.m.; Solemn Mass celebrated in St. Maria’s honor, 7 p.m.; Public veneration ends, 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 10: SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish, Sterling Heights: Solemn Mass celebrated in St. Maria’s honor at 9 a.m.; Veneration following Solemn Mass and ending at 10 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 11: St. Scholastica Parish, Detroit: Solemn Mass celebrated in St. Maria’s honor, 10 a.m. Veneration following Solemn Mass and ending at 11 p.m.
