Category Archives: Sacramentals and Relics
Sacramentals and Relics
Sacramentals: The sacramentals that are most familiar to us are the rosary, the brown scapular, and the miraculous medal. They all have this in common: they are blessed, visible objects that the Church sanctions for holy uses in order to achieve through the merits of the faithful certain effects, mainly of a spiritual nature. Although, like the sacraments, they are visible signs of spiritual things, they do not confer sanctifying grace ex opere operato, but ex opere operantis. The conferring of sanctifying grace by a worthy reception of any of the seven sacraments is achieved by the operation of the act itself. Sacramentals, on the other hand, confer grace grace dependent on the subjective devotion of the individual using them. The more fervent the recipient is in using the sacramental, the greater the increase of grace.
Other commonly used sacramentals are holy water, blessed oil, blessed candles, various approved scapulars, and many approved medals, such as the St. Benedict Medal, which is the oldest and most highly indulgenced of all sacramental objects. But the term covers much more. Excepting the sacraments and the public prayer of the Church (divine office and five litanies) blessings of ashes and palms, blessed foods, and even the Confiteors and Creeds and the giving of alms can all be considered sacramental.
The Church has always honored the bodies of the faithful departed in her funeral and burial rites. Just as the body of the deceased is blessed and sprinkled with holy water, so, too, is the very ground in which the deceased is buried, a consecrated ground. All of this is to give reverence to the body of the faithful departed, which was once a temple of the Holy Ghost, and which will rise at the last day in immortal glory.
Our flagship article for sacramentals is Catholic Sacramentals — Gifts of Grace.
Relics: The bodies of the canonized saints or blesseds are more worthy of veneration because these bodies were employed in heroic acts of love of God and neighbor. They may be the saint’s entire remains (in some cases the body is incorrupt), or a part of the body. These are first class relics and they are often venerated in churches in glass sarcophagi or reliquaries. Second class relics are taken from the clothing of the saint. Third class relics can include anything touched by the saint. God often grants favors to those who venerate the relics of His saints, i.e., spiritual blessings and cures. Such favors, if they are miraculous, are God’s sign that the holy person is worthy of canonization.
Oldest Daughter of the Church, II
[Part I] Given all the years that have passed, and despite all of this history, one might well wonder why we should care about the French Monarchy and its claimants. It has been gone, after all, for a long time. For that matter, why should its claimants and their partisans struggle so strenuously for it? The answer is several-fold. For Frenchmen, of course, the shadow … More →
Oldest Daughter of the Church
The American in Paris of Traditionalist bent will, in addition to the usual sights, doubtless seek out the Traditional Mass at such churches as the SSPX’s Saint Nicolas-du-Chardonnet or else Versailles’ Notre Dame des Armees. After Mass, he will then notice a number of vendors of newspapers and magazines, mostly young. Some may — much to the Yankee visitor’s surprise — be sympathetic to the … More →
Precious Blood, Holy Grail
Medieval romances generally fell into four categories: the Matter of Rome, which dealt with such classical heroes as Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar; the Matter of France, whose tales were inhabited by Charlemagne and such heroes as his nephew Roland; the Matter of Britain, which encompasses the Arthurian legends; and the Crusade Cycle, which dealt with the doings of Godefroi de Bouillon and his … More →
Pollen Expert’s New Discovery Confirms Age of Holy Shroud at 2000 Years
Vatican Insider: Here’s a clip from Palynologist Marzia Boi’s report: “The pollen traces on the Holy Shroud which have so far been linked to the geographic origin of the relic reveal what oils and ointments were put both on the body and on the sheet. These discoveries have an ethno-cultural meaning linked to ancient funeral practices. These non-perishable particles capture the image of a 2000-year-old … More →
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Relics of Six Mexican Priest Martyrs Venerated in Los Angeles Cathedral May 14-24
These six martyrs were canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000. The martyrdom of Father Jose Maria Robles Hurtado is highlighted in the movie For Greater Glory, the story of the Cristeros heroic resistance to the anti-clerical, masonic-supported persecution launched by the Mexican communist regime in the 1920s. The movie is due out next month. California Catholic Daily: Relics of six priests martyred during … More →
Modern ER Miracle: Man Wearing Scapular Returns to Life After Being Declared Dead
“Oh, good, Father. I’ve been waiting for you. I want to go to Confession. Here is the account of the witnessing priest.
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Exposition of Christ’s Seamless Tunic in Trier Cathedral April 13 – May 13
The sacred tunic of Our Lord has only been exposed for veneration sixteen times since it was first displayed in 1521. The last exposition was in 1996. What a wonderful pilgrimage this would be to see the seamless robe of Jesus, woven by the hands of His Blessed Mother. Catholic Culture reports: Christ’s sacred tunic, housed in a reliquary at the cathedral in Trier, will … More →
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A Grace: Tens of Thousands of Russians Come to Venerate Relic of Our Lady’s Sash
Imagine. People had to wait in line in freezing cold for 24 hours. Yahoo News: Braving freezing cold temperatures and ice-covered sidewalks, tens of thousands of Russians stood in line Wednesday to see and kiss a newly arrived relic of the Virgin Mary in Russia’s largest Orthodox cathedral. Full report is here.
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Novena to Our Glorious Lady of Mount Carmel Begins Tomorrow July 7
July 16 is the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. There is something particularly wonderful about this feast, a double major liturgically, which makes it so embraceable for the faithful children of Mary. Perhaps it is the appealing simplicity of it, the maternal tenderness of it, as well as the magnanimous generosity of the promise. I used to be astonished when I was young … More →
St. Anthony’s Relic Has Been Found and Returned
Catholic Culture: Police in Long Beach, California, have arrested Maria Solis, 41, in conjunction with the theft of a relic of St. Anthony of Padua from a parish on June 13. The relic was discovered undamaged in her living room and has been returned to the parish; the suspect is not a parishioner. Read more here.
780 Year-Old Relic of Saint Anthony Stolen From California Church
AP report: A 780-year-old religious relic of St. Anthony of Padua has been stolen, and parishioners at a Southern California Catholic church are praying to the patron saint of lost causes and missing objects for its speedy return. More on this here.
Cathedral of Trier Carries Seamless Robe of Christ
Catholic Online: Christianity first arrived in Trier as early as the first century. The cathedral, also known as the Dom St. Peter, was built by Constantine, the first Christian emperor, over the palace of his mother Helena. Construction began in 326 AD, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his reign. Read full post here.
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Evangelicals Support European Union’s Ban of Crucifixes in Public Schools
I don’t know of anything more indicative of Protestantism’s theology of “protest” than crosses without the Crucified, that and their rather ironic fear of the Sign of the Cross, which goes back to apostolic times. The statement below from the Italian Evangelical Alliance’s spokesman is fallacious. Christians for over fifteen hundred years reverenced images of the Crucified Christ in their churches both in the East … More →
Honoring The Saints, Our Lady, and Holy Images
[Questions Asked by Protestants Briefly Answered by Father M. Philipps, Rector of St. Joseph’s Church, Buffalo, NY. Cabinet of Catholic Information, 1903 Imprimatur: Archbishop John Farley] Praying to the Saints What do you mean by praying to the saints? Praying to the saints means to ask the saints to pray for us. It does not mean to adore them as we pray to and adore … More →
Purgatory, Indulgences, Predestination, and Relics – an Apologetical Wrapup
[Questions Asked by Protestants on Purgatory, Indulgences, Predestination and Relics briefly answered by Father M. Philipps, Rector of St. Joseph’s Church, Buffalo, NY. Cabinet of Catholic Information, 1903 Imprimatur: Archbishop John Farley] Purgatory Does the Bible say that there is a purgatory? The Bible does not mention the word purgatory, but it says we should pray for the dead: “It is, therefore, a holy and … More →
