Finding authentic relics of Saints available as a personal possession is very rare. However, Deacon Steve Canali was gifted with a relic of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton on his ordination day. Deacon Steve has treasured this precious gift for four years, but he knew from the very moment he received the relic that it was meant for the benefit of the Church. Now, he generously shares it with the entire parish to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s birth.
When I accepted the gift from Deacon Steve on behalf of the parish, I went to Father Michael Burbeck, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Raleigh, to ensure the authenticity of the relic. He read the certificate letter written in Latin and looked at the reliquary for seals and other signs. He immediately told me that it is authentic. Relics of Saints principally signify the bodies or notable parts of the bodies of the Saints who now dwell in Heaven.
I am sharing this great news with you today as it allows me to tell you a little bit more about the celebration our parish is planning for the 250th Anniversary of the Birth of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Her birthday is Wednesday, August 28. On that day, Mass will be celebrated in the evening at 6:30 pm with our Bishop, Luis Rafael Zarama, present. Parishioners are encouraged to attend the Mass. Please sign up in the Gathering Area to help us plan the Mass and reception which follows. For those interested, we encourage parents to dress their children either as Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton or as Saint Vincent De Paul, whose example and spirituality enormously influenced Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. More information will be available on our website.
You will be encouraged in the nine days leading up to the event to pray a novena to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. It will be made available on our website, and you will be reminded each day of the novena through Flocknote text messages.
Discussions took place at Pastoral Council meetings on the relocation of the statue of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. With the approval from the Diocese, we decided to move it from its current location in the Gathering Area to the niche where the portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe is currently located. A pedestal to elevate her has been produced by the company that made the statue originally. It is expected to arrive in the next few weeks. The plan is to relocate the statue and bless it before August 28th. The place for the relic will most likely be near the statue. This will provide a secure place where we may get closer to venerate and pray to our patroness Saint.
The story of the relic is a story about the Christian virtue of generosity. It is a story of the generosity of Deacon Steve. Today’s gospel reading about the multiplication of the loaves and the fish is also a story of generosity. The young boy who donated the five loaves of bread and the two fish is one of the examples of generosity presented to us today. Yet a greater example of generosity is the Lord himself who multiplies the bread and the fish to the point of satisfying everyone’s wants and leaving enough provisions to symbolically feed the twelve tribes of Israel. Of course, the bread and fish multiplied were only symbols of the Eucharist, which is truly the Lord’s Body given up for the people of God on the cross.
The gospel story is paired with a reading from the second book of Kings. This reading from the Old Testament is about a man who donated twenty loaves of bread to the prophet Elisha who was a man of God. By his trust in the Word of God, Elisha multiplied the loaves. The man and Elisha perfectly foreshadowed the young boy and the Lord in the gospel. The man and the young boy understood that their gifts were to be shared with God, present in the prophet and the Lord, and to be placed in the service of the people of God. Again, this is also the case with the relic for our parish. This is also the case each time a parishioner gives of their time, talent, and treasure.
Today, as we receive the gift of God in the Eucharist, where the Lord gives himself totally to us, let us first thank him for his merciful love for us, and secondly let us humbly ask him to help us learn from him and the young boy to be generous with God and the Church.