Honoring saints can heal body, soul, says priest leading relics tour
MIDDLESEX, N.J. (CNS) -- Father Carlos
Martins preaches that for Catholics to reach heaven, they must possess
forgiving hearts, participate in sacraments & live their Christian
identities to fullest.
The priest, a member of Companions of the Cross community,
travels around United States & beyond speaking about the faith,
&-- perhaps more importantly -- providing people with tangible
evidence to pursue their devotion in exposition & veneration of
sacred relics.
On a Saturday afternoon in March, Father Martins visited Our Lady of
Mount Virgin Church in Middlesex to speak & host a special exposition,
"Treasures of the Church." With more than 150 relics in an A-Z list --
from St. Agnes to St. Zelle Guerin, mother of St. Therese of Lisieux
-- the unique collection also included relics of well-known saints such
as St. Maria Goretti, St. Francis of Assisi & St. Thomas Aquinas.
As Father Martins' presentation made clear, experience was unlike anything that most attendees had witnessed.
While non-Catholics might find veneration of relics unusual or
even strange, it is solidly rooted in Scripture & an important
tradition of Catholic Church, the priest explained during a
60-minute presentation before the exposition.
Saints & their relics
are not worshipped, but honored in a manner that acknowledges God's work
in their lives, he said.
Before estimated 500 people ventured from sanctuary to
church hall to take in relics, Father Martins instructed them on how
to proceed.
"There's going to be one saint downstairs that's going to reach out
& communicate with you in a personal way," he said.
"There's going to
be one saint that is going to say to you, 'I want to be your friend.'
Your job ... is to find your saint."
And that's what people did. Fifteen tables held relics & brief
descriptions of saints. Attendees walked around tables mostly
quiet, & clutching medals & other items, touching them to relics.
Besides relic tables, the "Treasures" featured mother lode of exposition: a large piece of cross of Jesus Christ; a piece of
fabric from Mary's veil; a piece of thorn from Christ's crown of thorns & more.
Father Martins said he has seen God's work through relics of saints -- sometimes in surprisingly healing ways.
The Lacey family of Haddon Heights can attest to this.
Charlie & Cathy Lacey attended a "Treasures" exposition 2 years
ago at St. Agnes Parish in Clark, with their family, including sons,
Brendan, 15, & Patrick, 13, both of whom they said were cured from
health-related issues, thanks to the relics.
Patrick was healed of cerebral palsy, the couple said, while Brendan
has been cured of eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic immune system
disease that has only been identified in last 2 decades, according
to Mayo Clinic website.
"The healings come from God through the relics," Cathy Lacey told The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of Diocese of Metuchen.
The family attended March 16 event in gratitude to Father
Martins, thankful for miracle of 2 family cures & willing to
share their news.
Among those in attendance were members of Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish, including Bud Crede.
"(Father Martins) kept your attention," he said. "Did you notice how quiet church was while he was speaking?"
Asked if he believed passing by religious artifacts might get him closer to heaven, Crede smiled.
"No, not yet," he said. "I haven't seen enough relics yet. I need to look some more."
"We wanted to feel presence of saints in our lives," said
Christina Breen of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, who attended with her
children, Blair, 10, Sam, 8, & 5-year-old Nora. "It's just a moving
experience to be this close to so many amazing, amazing people."
Blair Breen added, "I love this, because ... I really love the
saints." As she spoke, her little sister Nora passed by tables,
picking up relics from their holders like a happy child who has found a
lost toy.
"I pray every night," Blair said, while she held a favorite doll that
was dressed in a green shamrock dress appropriate for St. Patrick's
Day. "I try to pray as much as I can at school. Now that I'm here, I'm
amazed at all the saints."
Ester Chung of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, who came with her
family, also called it "amazing" to see the number of relics in one
location, along with cross of Christ & veil of Mary.
"I know the relics do God's work, & I just wanted to share works of God with my son," Chung said, She said her 7-year-old child,
William Nam, has been diagnosed with autism since he was 2, & she was
seeking a saint's intervention to help cure him.
Bob Favocci, of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, who came with a contingent
that included his 2 daughters & others, said chance at a
"personal encounter" with the saints prompted him to make the trip.
"When you see a collection of this concentration, it kind of shakes
you down to your core," said Favocci, who works in Bridgewater. You
realize you're part of a great heritage.
"They're a physical reminder that we're all called to be saints," he
said. "These are human beings who had same struggles, many of the
same, if not worse conditions in life like we have. Certainly, they
found various ways to get to ultimate goal, eternity in heaven.
Also, it kind of puts it in perspective that I have these folks to help
me in my journey."
Father David V. Skoblow, administrator at Our Lady of Mount Virgin,
said "Treasures" exposition provided people a chance to experience
"a special kind of holiness."
"We're called to sanctity. We're called to sainthood," Father Skoblow
said. "What better way of approaching God & praying for holiness than
to experience holiness of those who've gone before us.
"So we're not only here to venerate relics but to emulate saints."
Father Martins, 44, who said he was an atheist before he joined the
Catholic Church while in college, said he has felt blessed by all goodwill & healings via the relics.
"I was at the right place at right time," he said about his
assignment. "God really wanted this done. This ministry didn't exist
before me. I created the suggestion. I designed it, came up with notion, & then church said, 'Yes.'"
Father Martins also encouraged faithful to contact him about any
experiences, with most dramatic effect he believes comes from
exposition is healing within the human soul.
