Catholic Social Tips
As Catholics, we believe in the communion of saints. In fact, two of its members are celebrated for the works they did here on the islands.
As Hawaii prepares to celebrate the bicentennial of Catholicism’s arrival, many people ask to host relics of our beloved saints, St. Damien of Molokai and St. Marianne Cope, at their parishes. I personally requested to have them for veneration at the San Pedro Regional Congress in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, to which I belong.
Through my experience, I learned a lot about the process of requesting relics and their power for the faithful.
There are three classes of relics, and their classification depends on the relic’s physical connection to the saint. In the case of Sts. Damien and Marianne, the first-class relics are their bones. Second-class relics are typically pieces of cloth from something they wore, or fabric that touched the item they wore. Lastly, soil from their burial site is a third-class relic.
Second- or third-class relics can be mailed, but a first-class relic requires a chaperone. Because of those limitations, we chose a second-class relic for St. Damien and a third-class relic for St. Marianne.
We submitted a formal written request with our Bishop’s signature. After receiving the precious relics, we determined, with nearly 800 people registered for the event, that we could not allow everyone to venerate them. I served as the relic handler and was tasked with taking people’s items to touch the relics.
It was very moving for me to serve in this way. Many were emotionally overwhelmed by the experience.
People presented prayer cards, rosaries, jewelry, pictures, medals, crucifixes and pieces of cloth. I learned that touching the personal item transformed it into a third-class relic — powerful!
A long line of people waited to have their items touched to the relics, and it took me about two hours to serve them. After the line was gone, I sat in the empty chapel; I felt the sacredness of these holy men and women’s presence. A quiet, peaceful holiness coursed through my spirit.
There was much excitement around our saints from Hawaii, but also around the second-class relic of the newly beatified Blessed Fulton J. Sheen. At first, I thought it was tribal folklore, but Church canon supports the practice.
You may visit the Holy See’s website to read for yourself what the church teaches regarding the veneration of relics. In recent years, some communities have fallen victim to people who tried to profit from providing saints’ relics at parishes, or individuals have tried to sell them at Catholic events. The canon is very clear that these practices are prohibited. Additionally, the entity that secured the relic should provide proof of authenticity.
I am also helping plan the 2027 Religious Education Congress and am thrilled to learn that the first-class relics of Sts. Damien and Marianne will be displayed in the sacred space for veneration in observance of the bicentennial in Hawaii. A special Mass will also be celebrated to mark the milestone.
Visit RECongress.org for more information about the congress, which will take place April 22-25.
Sherry Hayes-Peirce is a Catholic social media consultant based in Southern California.