The skull of St. Thomas Aquinas has begun a three-week tour of the eastern United States, giving Americans a rare opportunity to see a first-class relic of the 13th-century saint.
“A visit to an important relic of St. Thomas Aquinas United States of America is a great blessing, and it is especially meaningful this year, as we celebrate 750 years since St. Thomas entered heaven,” Fr. Ambrose Little, OP told Fox News Digital.
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Little, a Catholic priest and a Dominican friar, is assistant director of the Thomistic Institute in Washington, D.C. The Thomistic Institute is “an academic institution of the Pontifical Faculty of the Dominican House of Studies,” according to its website.
St. Thomas Aquinas himself was a member of the Dominican Order. He is revered in the Catholic Church as both a saint and a saint. Doctors of the Churcha special title given to those who have made significant contributions to theology and doctrine.
Attendees of events on the tour will have the opportunity to see Aquinas’ skull encased in a reliquary, a special container used to store and venerate relics.
The first level relics are part of the body of a saint. A second-class relic is something that a saint used during his lifetime. And a third-level artifact is an object that has been touched by a first- or second-level artifact.
The remains are usually kept in Toulouse, France, but they were part of a milestone anniversary celebration in the crown prince’s life last year. Traveling to Europe.
Few acknowledged that the concept of relics might seem offensive to some.
“For many people who are not aware. Catholic devotion For relics, (visiting Aquinas’s skull) may seem like a horrific event,” Little said. “But it’s important to remember that from the earliest days of Christianity, the bodies of saints have been symbols of faith, hope and hope. are love.”
On November 29, people had the opportunity to venerate the first-class relics of St. Thomas Aquinas at St. Dominic’s Church in Washington, DC. (Christine Roussel/Fox News Digital)
A saint’s physical remains are a “reminder of a life wholly devoted to the service and love of God, physically and spiritually,” Little said.
“In particular, a visit to the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas is also a reminder of his great gift of scholarship, which has enlightened the minds of millions. [throughout]” he said.
Aquinas’ most famous work is the “Summa Theologica,” a comprehensive guide to the theology of the Catholic Church.
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Little said that those who visit the relics have many reasons for doing so, and he hopes that Aquinas, “who now sees God face to face, will pray for us, and that Those prayers will strengthen our own faith, hope and love, so that we can join the Angelic Doctor forever in the choir of angels.”
One of those who came to venerate the relics was Amy Sawka of Chantilly, Virginia. who visited St. Dominic Catholic Church on Nov. 29 with his family.
The skull of St. Thomas Aquinas will be on display in 10 cities across the eastern United States through December 18. (Christine Roussel/Fox News Digital)
Savka, who told Fox News Digital that she is a “homeschooling mother of five, expecting a sixth,” said she came to ask Aquinas for spiritual guidance.
“I came to St. Thomas Aquinas to ask for a little extra help to make the home school everything the kids need,” she said.
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The tour began at St. Dominic Church in Washington, DC and continued on November 30 at the Dominican House of Studies. All stops on this tour are places run by Dominican friars.
A visit to the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas is also a reminder of his great gift of saintly scholarship.
After leaving DC, the relics traveled south to Charlottesville, Virginia, on December 2, and then north to Providence College, Rhode Island, on December 4.
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Other tour dates include:
December 6: St. Gertrude Priory, Cincinnati
December 7-8: St. Patrick’s Parish, Columbus, Ohio
December 10: St. Louis Bertrand Catholic Church, Louisville, Kentucky
December 12: St. Rose Priory, Springfield, Kentucky
December 14: St. Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church, New York City
December 16: St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Philadelphia
December 18: Sts. Philip and James Catholic Church, Baltimore