Relics of St. Bernadette

What are relics?

A relic is a fragment of the body or physical possession of a canonized saint that can help us grow closer to God. Relics are divided into three classifications. A first class relic is a body part of a saint, such as bone, blood, or flesh. Second class relics are possessions that a saint owned, and third class relics are objects that have been touched to a first or second class relic or the saint has touched him or herself. (Source)

What are St. Bernadette’s relics?

The “Original Acts”, preserved in the Archives of Nevers and written in Latin, indicate that taken for the relics were:

• A fragment of the 5^th rib
• A fragment of the 6^th rib
• The kneecaps
• A sample of muscle, from the external part of the right femur
• Lots of hair
• Various fragments which came from muscles and skin

The conservation and attribution of these relics were entrusted to the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, under the vigilance of the Bishop of Nevers. (Source)

Why are relics significant?

To quote the ultimate authority, we borrowed the answers from the The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and the Code of Canon Law:

CCC No.1674: “The religious sense of the Christian people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding the Church’s sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics…” Also, regarding veneration, the CCC’s Glossary states, “Veneration must be clearly distinguished from adoration and worship, which are due to God alone.”

The Code of Canon Law: Can. 1186: “To foster the sanctification of the people of God, the Church commends to the special and filial reverence of the Christian faithful the Blessed Mary ever virgin, Mother of God, whom Christ established as the mother of all people, and promotes the true and authentic veneration of the other saints whose example instructs the Christian faithful and whose intercession sustains them.” (Source)

What is a novena?

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, a novena is “nine days’ of private or public devotion in the Catholic Church to obtain special graces.” The Pentecostal novena is thought to have been the very first novena of the Catholic Faith, because it took place within the nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost. (Source)

“In the Roman Catholic Church, a devotion consisting of prayers said during nine consecutive days, for the purpose of obtaining, through the intercession of the Virgin or of the particular saint to whom the prayers are addressed, some special blessing or mercy. Also called by the French name neuvaine.” (Source)

The intentions for each novena differ based on the needs of the individual. In this case, the Novena to St. Bernadette is specifically intended to ask for her healing intercession for our parishioners, our visitors, and our world.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
St. Bernadette, pray for us!

What is a plenary indulgence?

(In Roman Catholicism) a remission of all temporal punishment that is still due to sin after absolution. (Source)

“Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1471): “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.”

What are the conditions of a plenary indulgence?

Plenary indulgences can only be sought one time per day. They can be applied to oneself, or souls in Purgatory, but they cannot be applied to other currently living people. In order to obtain the indulgence, one must do the following, and preferably all on the same day (though it can still be applied if you are in a complete state of grace):

1. Go to sacramental confession.
2. Have interior disposition of complete detachment from both mortal and venial sin.
3. Receive the Holy Eucharist (best to receive it during Holy Mass, but for the indulgence, only Holy Communion is required).
4.  Pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. (Source)

Why is a plenary indulgence significant?

Essentially, a plenary indulgence aids us in finding eternal joy through complete omission of sin and all its repercussions! As the late Saint John Paul II phrased it,

“An indulgence is not a quick ticket to heaven, as St. John Paul II once said; rather, it is an aid for the real conversion that leads to eternal happiness.”

Sins are forgiven through the sacrament of penance, but then there is a kind of punishment still due the sinner, the late pope explained during a general audience in 1999.

God’s fatherly love “does not exclude chastisement, even though this always should be understood in the context of a merciful justice which reestablishes the order violated,” he said.

The pope had said the “temporal” punishment that remains after forgiveness is a grace aimed at wiping away the “residues of sin,” offering the reformed sinner the chance of complete healing through “a journey of purification” that can take place in this life or in purgatory.

By God’s grace, participation in a prayer or action that has an indulgence attached to it brings about the necessary restoration and reparation without the suffering that would normally accompany it. It frees a person from the punishment their sinfulness warrants, as it is a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for sins that have been forgiven.” “An indulgence, then, is the result of the abundance of God’s mercy, which he offers to humanity through Jesus Christ and through the Church,” he [St. John Paul II] said. (Source)

Lourdes Virtual Pilgrimage Experience™

As part of the historic St. Bernadette Relic tour to the United States, we are thrilled to invite you to this one-of-a-kind Lourdes Grotto experience! A group of in-person volunteers from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers will present a Lourdes Virtual Pilgrimage Experience™ right here at our home parish. The purpose is essentially to bring Lourdes to you! The goal is to enliven the Lourdes, France shrine pilgrimage for those who may not have the opportunity to travel to the authentic grotto in Lourdes, France. As part of this spiritual opportunity to draw nearer to God with Our Lady and St. Bernadette, you will:

• Immerse yourself in the Message of Lourdes as given by Our Lady to St. Bernadette, (to be presented by the volunteer team)

•  Touch the Grotto Rock and experience the healing grace of Lourdes Water

• Receive a Eucharistic blessing 

• Pray the Rosary, and process by candlelight, as they do in Lourdes, France

• Prepare a petition to be placed in the Grotto in Lourdes, France

Come and encounter the healing grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ through His Immaculate Mother.  Invite your family, children, and friends.  Our Lady extends her invitation to all!  The next best thing to visiting Lourdes itself is a Pilgrimage journey without the travel!  A Plenary Indulgence is granted to all the faithful, under the usual conditions, who attend this Experience.  For more information, contact the parish office, (303) 722-6861 or www.lourdesdenver.org.