Southern Nebraska Register
A first-class relic of St. Jude the Apostle visited St. Michael Parish in Lincoln Sept. 27.
Several thousand people filed past the glass-encased reliquary containing a bone of the forearm of the apostle, to venerate the first class relic, which reaches back to the very beginning of the Catholic faith.
The visit to Lincoln was part of an America-wide tour, which is the first time the relic has left its permanent home in Rome, Italy.
Editor's Note: See photo slideshow
Father Carlos Martins, director of Treasures of the Church, facilitated the pilgrimage to St. Michael Parish. Spirit Catholic Radio, a network spanning Nebraska, also assisted in the organization and promotion of the relic tour.
Sacred Scripture records that there were three women at the foot of the cross of Jesus: His mother Mary, Mary of Clopus and Mary Magdalene. Mary of Clopus was the blood sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Jude Thaddeus was her son, making him the first cousin of Jesus.
Jude later died a martyr’s death, and his burial place was documented from the time of his death until the present. His body was transferred to a tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica centuries after his death; his arm was subsequently removed and placed in a reliquary in the shape of a priest’s hand giving a blessing.
St. Jude is known as the “Apostle of the Impossible” or of hopeless causes.
The faithful began to arrive at St. Michael at 3 p.m. Sept. 27 for veneration. By the time the doors closed at 10 p.m., several thousand people had filed past the relic. Educational banners about relics and the Catholic faith lined the aisles of the Church. Gregorian chant provided a background for veneration. Throughout the evening, a half-dozen priests heard hundreds of confessions.
A capacity crowd filled St. Michael Church for Mass at 6 p.m. During his homily, Father Martins talked about the life and times of St. Jude and the history of his body.
Many people came seeking the intercession of St. Jude for personal and difficult situations in their lives, including many health conditions. Reactions to the relic ranged from tears to awe and gratitude.
In addition to people from all over Nebraska, two men drove all the way from the Sacramento, Calif. area just to see the relic. One 99-year-old woman from Lincoln expressed her gratitude for the ability to see the relic.
Father Kenneth Borowiak, pastor of St. Michael, spoke about the impact the relic will have on the lives of many.
“To think that this is a part of a man’s body who was one of Jesus’ 12 chosen Apostles and his first cousin, is incredible,” Father Borowiak said. “To imagine that we have a tangible part of a person who spoke face-to-face to Jesus and listened to Him preach and teach and saw Him heal and cast out demons, connects us to Jesus himself in a direct way,” he added.
Father Martins spoke with Dennis Kellogg, director of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, about traveling the country with the relic. He shared stories of people who experienced healing after asking St. Jude for his intercession. But, he said, the stories in which someone experienced a “conversion of the heart” were “much more important” than physical healing.
“You can go to heaven with cancer in your leg, or a bad spine,” he said, “but you can’t go to heaven at enmity with God. You can’t go to heaven if you’re not reconciled with Him.
“So those are my favorite conversions,” he said.
Kellogg asked how Father Martins would guide someone who wanted to develop a stronger relationship with the saint.
“Just talk to him,” he said. “Just invite him. “Offer a friendship and accept the offer of it back, and from that point forward, you’ve got a friend.”
Watch the interview with Father Martins on the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln YouTube channel. Subscribe to our channel for more Catholic videos from the diocese.
