No bones about it: Parish's collection of relics impresses

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A collection of 30 relics at Holy Trinity parish in Johnstown is a memorial to not only the lives of saints, but to several closed churches in the Albany Diocese.

Some of the relics - including a piece of the "true cross" on which Jesus is believed to have died, and some pieces that were once embedded in the high altar of the diocesan cathedral - came from two closed Johnstown worship sites.

Other relics found their way to Johnstown from such closed churches as St. John the Baptist and Sacred Heart/St. Columba in Schenectady, St. Paul the Apostle in Troy and St. Casimir's in Amsterdam.

Some are authenticated by the Vatican, including a piece of hair from St. Therese of Lisieux and bones from St. Vincent de Paul and St. Catherine of Siena. Others - like relics purportedly of Ss. Anne and Joachim - are not.

"There's no way to know if it truly is from the remains of those saints," explained Rev. Thomas Morrette, pastor of Holy Trinity parish. "But it does represent them in some way, and we have to give them due honor."

The use of relics dates back to the early days of the Church, when the Eucharist was celebrated on the tombs of martyrs. During the Middle Ages, people abused the sacred nature of relics by buying and selling them. Only reliquaries, the cases in which relics are kept, can be bought and sold.

A "first-class" relic is an actual piece of a saint's body, such as a bone or blood. A second-class relic would be one of the saint's personal possessions; third-class relics are articles like pieces of cloth that have touched a first-class relic.

Father Morrette started amassing relics when he was pastor of parishes in Broadalbin and Northville, both of which also donated to the effort. He didn't solicit contributions, but other parishes, priests and religious heard of his interest and began to send such items his way.

He donated half of his collection to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, where they are stored in a drawer under the altar slab.

For the remaining 30, Father Morrette purchased reliquaries. A large display case was made for free by Northville cabinetmaker Dan Hershenroder, who died in January. The lighted case stands in a side niche of the parish.

Other relics in the collection include those of Pope St. Pius X and Ss. Maria Goretti, Thomas Aquinas, Stanislaus Koska, Pio of Pietrelcina, Faustina Kowalska, Jude Thaddeus and Catherine Laboure.

Johnstown Catholics have prayed in front of the case for the intercession of saints. Father Morrette told The Evangelist the relics can inspire people to learn about saints and emulate them.

"It's a great teaching tool," he said. At the same time, Father Morrette said, relics "have to be understood in the proper theological context. They're not magic."

But relics that enhance Catholics' prayer lives are better than a lot of what the secular world "worships," the pastor noted.

"Our world today is crazy for secular relics," he said, pointing to celebrity autographs and memorabilia. "Big bucks are spent to acquire these. The secular world should not scoff at the Catholic world's long-standing tradition to honor relics."[[In-content Ad]]