MICHIGAN CITY – A relic of the True Cross of Christ’s Crucifixion will be on display for veneration following the Palm Sunday Mass on April 2 at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church.
The relic is part of a large collection of relics at the Michigan City parish, which includes multiple relics of Christ’s Cross. Many of the relics belong to the parish’s pastor Father Walter Ciesla.
Veneration and prayer of the relic will begin following the 10 a.m. Mass and will continue through 2 p.m. Father Ciesla stated a reflection on the death of Christ, based on the Shroud of Turin, will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will conclude with the blessing of the relic.
“We’re going to focus on the one with the reliquary to put in the sanctuary so people can come and pray,” said Father Cielsa.
He explained the importance of the timing of the veneration. “It’s extremely important in light of the fact that we are going to be entering Holy Week that we focus on the Cross of Christ,” he said. “What better way to do it than to have the veneration of the relic of the cross.”
This is the first time the relic will be available for veneration. Father Ciesla credits parishioners for the idea and for organizing the event.
Camille Higdon is one of the parishioners looking forward to showcasing the many relics, especially the Cross of Christ. She along with fellow parishioner Jeff Duszynski were among the first to propose such a service. “It was in our display case, and we thought it would be nice to bring it out and showcase it for everybody to come and venerate and to pray,” she said.
Father Ciesla stated, “We have quite a collection of relics of the saints. We have men, women and children.”
Father Ciesla has collected a number of relics over the years, including those he received from priest and religious sister friends upon their passing. He explained that to display a relic, it should have documentation authenticating the fact that the relic is authentic, and many of the parish’s relics have the proper documentation.
Father Ciesla did encounter some difficulty in acquiring some relics, including the St. Faustina relic located near the parish’s St. Faustina statue. In order to get the first class bone relic, he had to get a priest to go to the Polish convent where Sister Faustina lived. Once there, the sisters wouldn’t give it to him without a letter from the bishop.
“I had to contact Bishop (Dale) Melczek, who in turn contacted the sisters, who then handed the relic on. Relics are very hard to come by,” he said.
Higdon said not too many churches in the United States have relics of saints. “That makes us a little unique,” she said. “We’ve had the relics in the church for years and I've given people tours. It’s so moving to see how people react to seeing a piece of the true cross. It’s hard to explain until you come and see it and think that was the cross that Jesus suffered and died for us, to save us.”
“When you realize that it was something that Christ actually touched, or a piece of a saint or something touched by a saint, it’s kind of surreal,” added Higdon.