Relics of St. Bernadette on US Tour, Drawing Devotion

Fragments of the body of St. Bernadette Soubirous, the 14-year-old French mystic who reported visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858, are currently on a 140-stop tour across the United States. The "Journey of Grace" features a reliquary containing portions of her ribs, kneecaps, hair, skin, and muscle from her femur.

The Catholic tradition of venerating relics dates back to at least 156 A.D. Rev. Patrick Flanagan, chair of St. John's University's theology department, explained that for Catholics, relics represent the tangible presence of saints. "A bone, a fragment of skin, or perhaps even a heart . . . It is essentially the saints’ presence among us once again," Flanagan stated. He emphasized that Catholics venerate saints as holy individuals who serve as intercessors, rather than worshiping them.

St. Bernadette, now the patron saint of illness in the Catholic Church, experienced a series of visions of the Blessed Mother over several months in the small French town of Lourdes. She died in 1879 at the age of 35. The town of Lourdes has since become the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site globally, with 72 miracles recognized by the Church attributed to its intercession.

The American tour of the reliquary began in Washington D.C. on September 18 and includes stops at various religious institutions, hospitals, and universities. The relics are scheduled to visit Our Lady of Lourdes Church in West Harlem this weekend, followed by The Shrine Church of St. Bernadette in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

During its previous U.S. tour in 2002, "hundreds of thousands of people visited the reliquary in the hope of experiencing the same grace, healing, and hope that so many visitors to Lourdes have experienced," Flanagan noted.

Bernadette's body was exhumed in 1909 and 1919 for sainthood proceedings. In 1925, portions of her body were removed for preservation as relics. An examination in 1909, 30 years after her death, reportedly found her body to be miraculously incorrupt, with physicians documenting the preservation of her skin, teeth, and nails.

New York City itself hosts numerous relics. The St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Washington Heights houses approximately 80% of her skeletal remains, along with personal items. Julia Attaway, the shrine's executive director, noted that pilgrims visit to give thanks for miracles attributed to Mother Cabrini, including those of healing, obtaining green cards, and emotional relief.

Additionally, the arm bone of St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, is displayed at St. Jean Baptiste Church on the Upper East Side. The Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in the East Village preserves the bones of the Roman martyr St. Datian, encased in a wax figure. Other relics in the city include a sock stained with the blood of St. Padre Pio at the Church of St. John the Baptist and a finger joint of St. Vincent Ferrer at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer.

Flanagan observed a recent increase in devotion to relics, suggesting that in an increasingly technological world, people are seeking tangible objects to connect with. "People are hungry for the tangible, things they can see and touch," he said.