16 First-Class Saint Relics Arrive At St. Rita Of Cascia Parish For All Saints Day

CHICAGO—In observance of All Saints’ Day on Sunday, Nov. 1, St. Rita of Cascia Parish in Chicago’s West Lawn neighborhood will display 16 first-class relics for public veneration from Friday, Oct. 30 through Sunday, Nov. 8.

Catholics are invited to view the relics and venerate them, a longstanding Catholic tradition through which the faithful honor the saints and seek their intercession.

People of all faiths are welcome to view the relics and pray.

Relics are physical remains of a saint or objects associated with a saint. First-class relics are parts of a saint’s body, such as bone or flesh. Catholics may venerate relics through prayer, kneeling nearby, or touching the glass enclosing a reliquary. The practice reflects the Catholic belief that the saints remain united with the faithful in Christ.

The relics on display will include:

• St. Augustine of Hippo
• St. Bernadette of Lourdes
• St. Blaise
• St. Clare of Montefalco
• St. Dominic Savio
• St. John of the Cross
• St. John Vianney
• St. Jude Thaddaeus
• St. Maria Goretti
• St. Martin de Porres
• St. Nicholas of Tolentine
• St. Rita of Cascia
• St. Teresa of Ávila
• St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)
• St. Thérèse of Lisieux
• St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Rita of Cascia Parish, 6243 S. Fairfield Ave., Chicago, will be on display Friday, Oct. 30, through Sunday, Nov. 8 at the following times:

• Monday through Friday, 8 to 11 a.m. (Spanish Mass, 8 a.m.)
• Saturdays: 10:30 a.m. through 3 p.m. (Confessions 11 a.m. to noon)
• Sundays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Spanish Masses 9 a.m. and noon; English Mass 10:30 a.m.)