For years, parishioners have wondered whose relics are contained in our church altar. Unfortunately, no documentation existed to answer the question. Until now...
Out of the Catacombs
It has been a centuries-long tradition in the Church to place the relics of saints, especially martyrs, into the altar where Mass is celebrated. The tradition connects us back to the ancient days of the Church when Mass was sometimes celebrated in the catacombs, surrounded by the tombs of the martyrs who died for Christ. The sacrifice of the martyrs mirrors Christ’s own sacrifice for our salvation, and it was his sacrifice (continued in the offering of the Eucharist) that gave the martyrs the strength to offer their own lives.
After Christianity was legalized, the Church kept the connection with the martyrs alive by placing the relics (often fragments of the martyr's bones) into the altar itself. This practice has continued into our time, connecting us with the Communion of the Saints and reminding us of the sacrificial nature of love, made visible in the saints who died for Christ.
For years, parishioners have wondered: "Which saint is in our altar?" Unfortunately, no records existed, so we could never answer that question until now.
Relics Revealed
As part of our renovation work, St. Jude Liturgical Studios transferred our original altar to their workshop in Philadelphia, where they will help find a new home for our original cathedral-sized altar. However, as part of their work, they opened the altar to remove the original relic containers that had been sealed in the altar when it was first dedicated and consecrated.
The photo above shows one of two small metal relic containers that were sealed with ribbon and wax, placed into the altar, and then covered and sealed with marble.
Workers from St. Jude retrieved the relic containers for us and delivered them just a few days ago. The wax seals were broken, and the relic containers were opened, revealing the relics and the testimony of Bishop T. Austin Murphy, who consecrated the altar.
April 29, 1964
Inside the relic containers was a note typed in Latin and signed by Auxiliary Bishop T. Austin Murphy.
The note reads:
A.D. On the 29th day of April, I, Thomas Augustine Murphy, Bishop of Appiaria, consecrated this altar, in honor of St. John the Evangelist and the relics of the holy Martyr Victorian and many other Martyrs, and I grant a plenary indulgence to each of Christ's faithful today, in the usual form of the Church.
Our parish history (see attachment below) recounts the dedication of our original church on May 10, 1964, so Bishop Murphy's note would have been written on April 29, 1964, in preparation for the dedication.
St. Victorian and Companions
So, who is the martyr Victorian whose relics have been encased in our altar? From Butler's Lives of the Saints, we learn some of the story of his life and martyrdom that was recorded in the ancient Roman Martyrology. (See also the larger attached history below from Butler's Lives of the Saints.)
Saint Victorian was martyred in Carthage with four other wealthy fellow merchants, including Frumentius. Initially named proconsul by Huneric, the Arian king of the Vandals, he was seized and put under pressure to convert to Arianism. When he refused, he was executed with the other merchants after being tortured at Adrumetum.
Saints Victorian, Frumentius, and Companions are venerated as Christian martyrs of the Roman Catholic Church. They were killed at Hadrumetum in 484 by the Arian Vandals.
Accounts of their martyrdom state that Huneric, King of the Vandals, began persecuting Catholic priests and virgins in 480 and by 484, began persecuting simple believers as well. Victorian was a wealthy Catholic of Hadrumetum who had been appointed proconsul by Huneric. He served as an obedient administrator to the king until he was asked to convert to Arianism. Victorian refused and was tortured and killed.
The Roman Martyrology states that four other wealthy merchants were martyred on the same day as Victorian’s death. Two were named Frumentius; they were merchants of Carthage. The other two were brothers of the city of Aquae Regiae, Byzacena, who were killed at Tabaia.
St. Victorian, Pray For Us!
The relics of the martyr Saint Victorian and his companions will be placed in the new altar that is being commissioned as part of our church renovation. And so the history of our connection with St. Victorian will continue.
What Does This Mean For Us?
An article on the history of altar relics (found here in Adoremus) helps us make sense of what all this means for us in a very encouraging and hopeful way:
"Like all relics, altar relics connect us to the Communion of Saints, but they also serve a further purpose within the liturgical context. Altar relics draw us to the history of salvation and to the hope for eternal glory in the future. For an altar does not have the relics of “the saints” in general but the relics of particular men and women who lived on this earth, lived lives of heroic virtue, and who are now in heaven interceding through prayer for us. This great cloud of witnesses (see Hebrews 12:1), the Church Triumphant, reminds us not only of what we too can achieve through sanctification but also how the sacrifice of Christ, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, nourished the saints, providing them with the strength and grace to live lives of heroic virtue.
While it is good to pray to 'all God’s holy angels and saints,' it is also good to know the particular saint whose remains take up residence in one’s particular church. Among other things, such an awareness can concretize that individual saint’s life, thereby making his or her example more familiar and seem more attainable. Sanctity is not just for a few: it is something we are all called to, and something we all must strive for." (See full article here.)
Please stay tuned for more updates on our church renovation work!
Sincerely in Christ,
