Touring relics exposition to visit cathedral

Friday, Jun. 04, 2021

SALT LAKE CITY — The Cathedral of the Madeleine will host “Treasures of the Church,” an exposition of sacred relics on Saturday, June 19. Among the more than 150 sacred relics, some of which are 2,000 years old, will be those of St. Mary Magdalene, St. Joseph, St. Maria Goretti, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Faustina Kowalska. There will also be a fragment of the veil that belonged to Our Lady, and some of the largest remaining pieces of the Wood of the True Cross in the world.

The relics will be accompanied by Father Carlos Martins of the Companions of the Cross. 

“I seek to give people an experience of the living God through the relics of his saints,” Fr. Martins said in a YouTube video about “Treasures of the Church.” 

In Salt Lake City, Fr. Martins will give a multimedia presentation to explain the catechetical and spiritual basis for the Walk with the Saints exposition that will follow the presentation.  

“The point of the teaching is nothing other than to present the basic Gospel message of Jesus Christ: that God is here right now and wants to be encountered; he touches us through the lives and the sacred remains of his saints,” Fr. Martins said. When that happens, “something incredible is going to occur. A saint is going to reach out, is going to connect with them and they can offer their friendship.”

At every exposition, healings occur, he said. “Though a great number of miracles have been physical, the most spectacular are the healing of faith, where a new and deeper relationship with God and his saints are formed in the faithful.”  

“It is a most beautiful thing to see a parish renewed after an exposition; that is the reason why I have this ministry,” he added.  

Those who attend the exposition will be able to examine and venerate each relic. They will also be granted a plenary indulgence by the Apostolic Penitentiary. Utah Catholics are encouraged to bring articles of devotion such as rosaries and holy cards and pictures of ill friends/family members, which may be touched to the reliquaries as a means of intercessory prayer.

The Companions of the Cross ministry travels throughout the world by invitation.  To date, it has been hosted in schools, churches and prisons in almost 200 Catholic dioceses in various countries.