My Visit to the Shrine of the Holy Relics
Catholic, Shrines January 15th, 2006
Today was a beautiful day for a pilgrimage! It was a little
cold, but the sun was shining and not a cloud or snowflake in sight! David, Jennifer, and I left in the morning and headed towards Maria Stein, Ohio. I only wish Carmel could’ve been there. The town’s name means "Mary’s Rock." As always we stopped at Speedway for coffee (sorry to disappoint Fr. David!). The trip took around 2.5 hours, but seemed to go quickly. The terrain in Northwestern Ohio is very flat, but quite scenic.
At around 1:00pm we arrived at The Shrine of the Holy Relics, a convent, shrine, and museum run by the Sisters of the Precious Blood. The first thing we did was to go to the bookstore. I didn’t buy a whole lot, except the obligatory holy water container, a few holy cards, a small book, and a couple of gifts I won’t reveal here because they will be going to a reader! After that, we looked around the beautiful grounds. The setting was rural and idyllic, especially the courtyard. As someone who prefers country life to city life, I would enjoy praying here on a regular basis!
We then went inside since it was too cold to linger outdoors and visited the museum. I really enjoyed learning about the history of the Order in Maria Stein. It was fascinating to see the expressions of the Catholic Faith in the past too (like holy cards before the invention of plastic). They also had a really cool statue of Mary unlike any other I’ve seen before (see photo).
Next we moved to the chapel, which seems to be the main attraction. The first chapel is a beautifully designed space with the Blessed Sacrament. It leads into the chapel that holds the relics. Entering there was quite a shock. I have never seen so many relics in one place. I would estimate there were nearly 1,000 individual relics that included hundreds of different Saints and Jesus (Go here to see all the Saints included in their collection). Fortunately they had
them laid out in an easy to use system. I looked for St. Justin, my patron, as well as other Saints important to me and my loved ones: Catherine of Siena, Peregrine, Jerome, Maria Goretti, and Thomas Aquinas. They had complete bones on display from (I believe, but could be wrong; corrections welcome) St. Concordia. They also had a beautiful wax figure that contained the remains of St. Victoria (see photo).
Naturally we were very happy to be in this place. My feeling was a mix of awe and excitement. I was looking around everywhere trying to find those Saints who had a special impact in my life. We prayed a litany of the Saints and asked our patrons to intercede for us. It was such a wonderful experience to be in the presence of the relics of so many heroes for Christ.
If you’re ever in the vicinity of Maria Stein, Ohio (it’s near Dayton and Lima), this is a great place to visit.
Images: L- outdoor view of the shrine; St. Victoria R- Unique statue of Mary; relic of St. Thomas Aquinas (all photos taken by Jonathan Bennett; beauty provided by the Sisters of the Precious Blood and the Saints themselves)
Update: David has posted his thoughts and photos
January 16th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
Dear Jonathan,
[heavy sigh]
I guess that during your swim of the Tiber, you jettisoned that great Episcopal doctrine of:
SALVATION BY GOOD TASTE
I am, of course, referring to your taste in coffee!
I agree that relics are a really good reminder that ours is an incarnational faith. If you haven’t already done so, I’d recommend reading Peter Brown’s classic work, “The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity”.
The Anglican Benedictine Abbey (St. Gregory’s) in Three Rivers, Michigan also has a large collection of relics. I was particularly impressed by the arm of a martyr that was encased in silver. No one knows what his name is (this was a group of martyrs), but he is a martyr and saint nonetheless!
David+
(who is enjoying his Starbucks Grande Mocha . . )
January 16th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
Lovely pictures, thanks so much for sharing!
January 19th, 2006 at 8:36 am
I had to learn to get overcome my squeamishness over relics. My pastor reminded me that these relics held the Body of Christ and as such, are holy. One of the joys of our pilgrimage to Rome recently, was to go from church to church and visit the reliquaries. My favorites were St. Peter’s chains, the Bethlehem manger, St. Catherine of Siena’s tomb.