In September, 2021, our shrine welcomed a relic of an upper arm bone of St. Francis of Assisi. It comes from Mount Athos, which is a mountain and a peninsula in northeastern Greece, consisting of 20 monasteries - a separate polity in the Hellenic Republic, under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. This relic was sealed and certified as authentic by Cardinal Domenico Maria Jacobini, the Vatican Secretary of State, on May 4, 1900.
Even though the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches separated in the Great Schism of 1054 and were mutually excommunicated from then until these bans were lifted by Pope St. Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I on December 7, 1965, during those centuries, there were occasional exchanges of relics between representatives of the two Churches. Such an event took place at the beginning of the 20th century. Pope Leo XIII and Patriarch Joachim III exchanged relics with each other – St. Francis of Assisi for St. Demetrios the Great Martyr. The patriarch deposited the relic of St. Francis in the relic treasury of the Great Lavra at Mount Athos.
The Great Lavra is the oldest and largest of the Mount Athos monasteries, founded by St. Athanasios the Athonite in 962. The catholicon (cathedral) there was built at that time. After over 1000 years, the roof of this famous building is in need of repair. The monks are allowed neither to have nor to handle money. But they were helped by some Russian pilgrims to set up an e-bay account. They would never ordinarily part with a relic, but a lot of money was needed for the repairs, so they decided to part with the relic of St. Francis, which they knew would be highly prized. They made this particular choice because, since St. Francis died in the 13th century – after the time of the Catholic/Orthodox schism – he does not have a feast day in the Orthodox calendar.
The Great Lavra is the oldest and largest of the Mount Athos monasteries, founded by St. Athanasios the Athonite in 962. The catholicon (cathedral) there was built at that time. After over 1000 years, the roof of this famous building is in need of repair. The monks are allowed neither to have nor to handle money. But they were helped by some Russian pilgrims to set up an e-bay account. They would never ordinarily part with a relic, but a lot of money was needed for the repairs, so they decided to part with the relic of St. Francis, which they knew would be highly prized. They made this particular choice because, since St. Francis died in the 13th century – after the time of the Catholic/Orthodox schism – he does not have a feast day in the Orthodox calendar.
So their loss is our great gain. After 120 years, St. Francis has been returned to the Catholic Church. The monks are really delighted that the relic has come here because it is coming from a monastery of All Saints and will now be honored in a Shrine of All Saints.
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