CORNWALL, Ontario – The forearm of Saint Francis Xavier will be visiting Cornwall on Dec. 27, 2017. The unusually large arm relic is a virtually permanent fixture in Rome; it rarely leaves its post for any reason. So it is only appropriate that the relic has its own seat aboard Air Canada for its Canadian debut.
Cornwall will be the relic’s first stop on its 15-city Canadian tour. The tour is being organized by the Archdiocese of Ottawa, the Canadian Jesuits and Catholic Christian Outreach (a national university student movement.)
St. Francis Xavier is considered by many to have been the greatest missionary and evangelist since St. Paul. Though he died nearly 500 years ago, St. Francis Xavier’s arm is showing only partial signs of decay. The entirety of the saint’s remains are in Goa, West India, where he dedicated the bulk of his life’s work. Not only was St. Francis Xavier a veritable “miracle man” attributed with having raised several people from the dead, but he also baptized over 100,000 people throughout his ministry.
His remains, including the travelling arm relic, are considered by the Church to be incorrupt. This means that, for scientifically unexplainable reasons, the saint’s body has not succumbed to the natural decaying process that typically follows death.
Its usual resting place is across from the remains of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, to which St. Francis belonged. The Jesuit order is still flourishing today. In fact, Pope Francis along with Ottawa’s Archbishop (and Cornwall’s Apostolic Administrator), the Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast both belong to the Jesuit order.
“Saint Francis Xavier is one of the most revered saints of all time,” says Terrence Prendergast, SJ, Apostolic Administrator of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall. “He was a man of extraordinary courage and faith who shared the Gospel message of Jesus with thousands across Southeast Asia, Goa and India.”
The veneration of relics are a longstanding, scripturally-based Christian tradition. In honouring the relics of a saint, the faithful show respect for someone who has lived a virtuous, godly life. Though Catholics do not worship the saints, their relics remind us that our faith is not just spiritual; it is also physical. When we love someone, we refer to physical objects to summon up feelings of fondness in their absence (photos, clothing, scents). Our bodies are loved by God and are meant to serve God on earth and then be reunited with God in heaven on the last day. Therefore, our bodies are meaningful. Catholics ask the saints to join them in prayer to God for special intentions.
The relic is scheduled to travel to the following cities: Ottawa, Québec City, St. John’s, Halifax, Antigonish, Kingston, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria and Montréal.
The relics will be on display for veneration in Cornwall at St. Columban’s Church on Wednesday, Dec. 27 from 1:30-4:30 pm. All are welcome. There will be a Mass following the exposition at 4:30pm.
For media inquiries or for further information, please contact Kimberly Walsh at 613-933-1138, ext. 32
