Students at Sacred Heart spent prayerful time in the presence of the relics. The relics include a stone from the Holy Pillar, a stone from the Holy Table (on which the Last Supper took place), and fragments from the Crown of Thorns, the Holy Nails, and the True Cross.
These are the relics which were brought back from the Holy Land by St. Helena. Over the centuries they were cared for by the king of France, the powerful Savoy family, and eventually the Vatican, and they have been authenticated by the former Papal archivist and are now curated by the Knights of Columbus.
The veneration of relics is an ancient practice which is firmly rooted in the Bible. The Second Book of Kings contains an account of a dead man being brought back to life after coming into contact with the bones of Elisha. Matthew’s Gospel has a story of a sick woman who was healed after touching Jesus’ cloak. And Acts has an account of people being healed after touching a handkerchief that had belonged to Paul.
Also, as part of the Lenten preparation for the students of Sacred Heart High School, Chaplain, Fr. William Agyemang, recently held the annual Commentated Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes. While Fr. William celebrated Mass, Mr. Dan Matthews, Campus Minister, explained the different parts of the Mass including the prayers, the readings, the gestures and physical positions of the congregation, the Eucharist, and the connection between the celebration and the architecture. Fr. William also will be holding confessions for all students and staff throughout the Lenten season.
Campus Minister, Mr. Dan Mathews, will also be going into the religion classes to discuss the meaning of Lent to encourage students to contribute to the Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl collection for needy people around the world as part the tradition of almsgiving, and the importance of attending daily Mass as well as the value of giving a good Confession.
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