The Relics of the Passion will
be available for veneration on:

Journey Conference
All ages welcome.
Saturday, October 10


Day of Prayer:
Monday, October 12

Find out more about the
Relics of the Passion

THE VENERATION OF RELICS
The veneration of relics is not a question of proof or science but an act of faith. Throughout history, there has been an unbroken chain of tradition in the veneration of relics and reference can be found in both the Old and New Testaments where the Holy Scriptures fully supports the true virtue of relics and the request to honor them. (See II Kings 13:20-21, Exodus 13:19, Mark 5:25-29, Acts 5:15-16). Historically their significance differed from place to place, and from person to person, there was no class of individuals, be they theologians, kings, or peasants, for whom relics were not of the greatest importance. From the church where they were required equipment of the altars, to the court of law where they were necessary for oath taking, to the battlefield where they helped bring victory, relics were an indispensable part of daily life.

THE RELICS OF THE PASSION For over a thousand years, the faithful have gone on pilgrimage to venerate the relics of Christ’s Passion and Death, and this tour has been designed to make such a pilgrimage possible to the people of twenty-first century America. 

RELIC OF THE TRUE CROSS
A piece of the True Cross discovered by Saint Helena, the Emperor Constantine’s mother, and brought back to Rome in 4th Century. To house the single most significant relic in Christianity, St. Helen built the Basilica of Santa Croce in Rome - where a large piece of the cross is kept to this day. Skeptics have said that if all the Relics of the True Cross where put together there would be enough wood for two or three crosses. However, 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.

RELIC OF THE CROWN OF THORNS
The Crown of Thorns was documented as being in Jerusalem in 409 AD. It was transferred to Constantinople in 1063, although it seems that the thorns were removed and presented to various rulers in Europe at an earlier date. In 1238 Baldwin II, the Latin Emperor of Constantinople, anxious to obtain support for his tottering empire offered the crown of thorns to Louis IX King of France who built the Sainte-Chapelle to house it. During the French Revolution, the crown was kept in the Bibliotheque Nationale until 1806 when the thornless remains were deposited in the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

RELIC OF THE HOLY NAILS
The Holy Nails were discovered by Constantine’s mother the Empress Helena about 300 years after the Crucifixion. According to legend, one nail was tossed into the Adriatic to calm a storm. The other two were used by the Empress to protect her son. One was placed in his crown and another formed into a bridle for his horse. Filings were taken from the true nails and imbedded in copies to make relics of a lower class. Some of these are presented as true nails rather than copies but it is safe to say that the one kept at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, in Rome is among those most likely to be one of the True Nails used in the Crucifixion.

RELIC OF THE BURIAL SHROUD
Sindonis D.N.J.C (from the burial shroud of Our Lord) There are two Sindonis relics, one is believed to be from the Shroud of Turin itself, the other is from the covering in which the shroud was stored when it was not being venerated. Throughout history, references have been made to this latter practice.

RELIC OF THE COLUMN OF FLAGELLATION
The Holy Column of Flagellation was transported from Jerusalem being in Jerusalem in 409 AD. It was transferred to Constantinople in 1063, although it seems that the thorns were removed and presented to various rulers in Europe at an earlier date. In 1238 Baldwin II, the Latin Emperor of Constantinople, anxious to obtain support for his tottering empire offered the crown of thorns to Louis IX King of France who built the Sainte-Chapelle to house it. During the French Revolution, the crown was kept in the Bibliotheque Nationale until 1806 when the thornless remains were deposited in the Cathedral of Notre Dame.