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SAINTLY GIFTS, Our
SAINTLY GIFTS
From Our Lady Star of the Sea
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BY DEBBIE BURNETT
Contributor
Father Roy Kalayil, the current pastor at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, said he feels a powerful presence in the sanctuary when he prays there. He is convinced it is due to the extensive collection of relics near the altar. Our Lady Star of the Sea is blessed to have over 300 sacred relics —most of them are first class relics.
The relics in the church were amassed by the late Msgr. Vincent Patrizi, who had been the pastor of OLSS for many years. No one knows precisely how Msgr. Patrizi obtained many them. However, he was born and raised in Rome and made several trips to his home.
Although the sacred relics have been on display at Our Lady Star of the Sea for many years, most parishioners are unaware of the blessing in their midst. Father Kalayil was amazed at the seemingly untapped beauty of the collection of relics and wanted to make everyone aware of these saintly gifts.
Beginning last March, one sacred relic has been featured each week in the parish bulletin and Facebook page. The feature includes a history and picture of the saint, a picture of the relic, and a prayer of intercession the congregation reads aloud at the end of Mass.
Father Kalayil purchased a special container to pray to the saint of the week. It is on display on a table at the front of the church, off to the side of the altar, so it will draw even more attention to the relic and the saint of that week.
Catholic relics are as old as the Church. Martyrdom was a frequent, if not typical cause of a Christian death. The martyr’s remains were collected, often in pieces, for secret burial in places like catacombs. When available, the instrument of death was taken along with clothing and other items. Many relics are encased in the altars of parish churches, especially cathedrals, or preserved in reliquaries to be venerated by believers. The tradition of venerating relics began before Jesus, and the practice is based in Scripture and centuries of Church teaching.
Relics are reminders that our saints are not simply names in a book or make-believe people. They were real people like us who struggled with many of the same difficulties and doubts we live with every day. Relics are physical, tangible, concrete reminders that heaven is obtainable, so long as we recognize what made the saints holy and work to apply those qualities to our lives.
When venerating relics, we express gratitude to God for those members of our spiritual family. We recall their holy lives and pray for the grace to achieve —eternity with God in heaven.
The word relic comes from the Latin “relinquo,” meaning “I leave” or “I abandon.” A relic usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangible memorial.
There are three classes of sacred relics. First-class relics include items that have physically touched the body of Jesus, such as a sliver of the cross or a thorn from His crown, or were parts of the saint’s body, such as a fragment of bone, flesh or hair. Second-class relics are pieces of the saint’s clothing or something used by the saint. A thirdclass relic is an object which has touched an actual first or second-class relic.
Authentic relics have a process by which they have been verified. There are wax seals that mark and secure the back of the teca (the little container the relic is encased in) and official documentation. Our Lady Star of the Sea has two relics from the Holy Cross, a relic from the Holy Sepulcher, a relic of a thorn, and a relic from the veil of Veronica.
It’s important to understand that relics are meant to be honored and venerated, not worshiped. We don’t worship a sacred relic and don’t think it will do something for us that God cannot do. We pray for the saint’s intercession in asking God to provide for us what we need. It may be a particular intercessor —like St. Anthony when we seek something lost or call on a particular saint in a time of
Father Roy Kalayil, pastor at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish and Debbie Burnett want everyone to be of the treasures at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish.
SAINTLY GIFTS
From Our Lady Star of the Sea
SAINTLY GIFTS
From Our Lady Star of the Sea
MARY COTTINGHAM | SOUTH TEXAS CATHOLIC
Debbie Burnett, a parishioner at Our Lady Star of the Sea is researching every relic in the church, compiling a spreadsheet, and creating binders of the official documents related to each relic. She also writes up a short article about the saint and features it in the church’s bulletin, website and Facebook page. For more information, go to olsscc.org.
illness. It’s an action of the heart to say that we trust that they are with God, that their work is still very powerful, and that they can go before God on our behalf.
Sacred relics offer Catholics a way to personally connect with the communion of saints, which is a great aspect of our faith in the Church. We have a “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) who are constantly working on our behalf so that we might be counted among them. Saints are not just spectators to the race we run; they are cheering us on to the same victory in the life of faith they obtained. By honoring their memories, bodies, and belongings, we thank God for the saint’s holy witness.
More about Our Lady Star of the Sea
Our Lady Star of the Sea is a beautiful church with a rich history.
It was originally dedicated in 1882 as St. Patrick’s on North Carancahua, and it became the Cathedral of the Diocese of Corpus Christi when the Diocese was formed in 1912. After it caught fire in 1951, it was dismantled and the sanctuary, nave and chapel were moved to the current location on North Beach. OLSS is blessed to have the original altar, statues, and stained-glass windows from the Cathedral which were reinstalled after its relocation.
The church serves as a memorial to the pioneers of Corpus Christi and is home to families who seek a small “country church” atmosphere of worship and fellowship.
Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish is located on North Beach (across from the USS Lexington) at 3110 E. Causeway Boulevard, Corpus Christi, TX, 78402. We would love to have you visit our beautiful parish and welcome you to participate in the holy Mass. Be sure to allow time to venerate the sacred relics on display.
A relic of one the Saint of the week on display on the altar at Our Lady Star of the Sea.
DEBBIE BURNETT | FOR STC
