Hundreds of sacred relics preserved by historic Newark parish
“In every saint’s life, there is something important to learn from them,” said Eric Lavin as he led a tour of the hundreds of relics on display at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Newark, NJ. “Some saints were Doctors of the Church; others were simply good and holy people.”
When Lavin talks about the relics at the parish and the saints associated with them, he speaks of them as a “lifeline” and a “link to a heavenly kingdom.”
“We often don’t stop to think about eternity,” he said, “but it can be a beautiful thing to stop and think about the company of saints.”
At Our Lady of Mount Carmel, signs of that company are everywhere.
Things that saints leave behind
There are three classes of relics (from the Latin reliquere, “to leave behind”).
Physical remains of blesseds or saints, like strands of hair, are first-class relics. An object used or worn by a blessed or saint, such as a shirt, is a second-class relic. Finally, a rosary, holy card, etc., becomes a third-class relic if it is touched to a first or second-class relic.
The Vatican has laid out careful instructions for authenticating, preserving, and treating relics.
Relics in the Church have always received particular veneration and attention because the body of the Blessed and of the Saint, destined for the resurrection, has been on earth the living temple of the Holy Spirit and the instrument of their holiness, recognized by the Apostolic See through beatification and canonization.”
– Instruction “Relics in the Church: Authenticity and Preservation, 2017, Congregation for the Causes of Saints
Preserving treasures
At the origin of the collection at our Lady of Mount Carmel is a pair of reliquaries located in the sanctuary. They contain relics reportedly gifted to Monsignor Caesar M. Rinaldi (1901-1963) by Pope Pius XII for his parish in Union City, NJ. Among the fourteen relics in one of the reliquaries are those of Saint Joseph, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Dominic, and Saint Anthony of Padua.
The relics that Monsignor Rinaldi received from the pope were dispersed after his death. Fortunately, Monsignor Joseph F. Ambrosio, then the pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, managed to preserve those now on display for veneration. The priest had made it his personal mission to save relics from churches that were being closed. Others were given to him by priests or concerned laypeople or were found in antique shops.
Monsignor Ambrosio displayed the relics so that the people of his parish could come to know the saints and be in relationship with them. Most of them can now be seen in specially constructed cabinets located in alcoves at the sides of the church.
Eric Lavin, who serves as the parish’s business administrator in addition to being a lifelong parishioner, was inspired by Monsignor Ambrosio, who died in 2020, and developed his own passion for preserving relics and promoting devotion to the saints.
“As a little kid growing up in this parish, the relics here were a wonder, an amazement,” he said.
A seminarian at the parish gave Lavin a relic of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, a German Redemptorist priest who served in the US. The gift “catapulted me to a devotion,” he said.
“Some kids collect baseball cards or stamps. Relics were my thing. I guess you could say I was not a normal child,” he joked.
Saving, protecting, and learning
Over more than a decade and a half, Lavin has gathered and cared for hundreds of relics. In fact, most of the relics now housed at the parish come from his collection. He told Jersey Catholic that each relic has its own story. Many have been gifted to him by clergy or friends who know of his devotion; others came from postulators (people who guide a cause for beautification or canonization). Like Monsignor Ambrosio, he rescued some from antique shops—and even from eBay.
The 2017 instruction from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints states that relics must be treated with respect and veneration and that the faithful must avoid “every type of superstition and illicit trade.”
Lavin said that when he acquires a relic from a shop, his goal is to remove it from the market and ensure it is adequately preserved, cared for, and properly venerated. He also emphasized that he acts as the “custodian” of any relic he acquires, rather than as its owner.
Part of his job is to carefully authenticate the relics under his care, a process that can often be time-consuming. Certificates of authenticity from ecclesial authorities are kept in the church’s safe. He also learns about the lives of the saints whose relics he cares for.
Holy lives to imitate
Lavin stresses that in addition to its spiritual benefits, the collection also has an educational value, introducing people to saints they were unaware of previously.
“Many of us have our favorites in the Communion of Saints, but there are also many saints who go unknown,” he said. He showed a reliquary containing a knucklebone of Blessed Andrea Calle González, a nun martyred during the Spanish Civil War. Known for her devotion to the poor, Sister Maria refused to renounce her Catholic faith. Pope Benedict XVI beatified her in 2013.
There are countless such discoveries to be made, alongside relics from saints and blesseds who already inspire widespread devotion.
Among the many fascinating relics in the collection:
- A piece of the Veil of Mary, taken from the relic in Chartres Cathedral
- A fragment from the home of Saint Joseph
- A piece of the tunic of Saint Francis of Assisi
- A zucchetto (white skullcap) that belonged to Blessed Pius IX, the pope who proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception
- A piece of the alb of Saint John Vianney, also known as the Curé d’Ars
- Relics of contemporary saints like Edith Stein, Carlo Acutis, and Pier Giorgio Frassati
The saints you can encounter at Our Lady of Mount Carmel include mystics, visionaries, scholars, hermits, and those who served the poor — demonstrating that there are many pathways to holiness.
Adding to a rich history
Lavin, who works as a high school teacher while also serving as director of the Archdiocese of Newark’s Italian Apostolate, said that there are about 300 relics publicly displayed at the parish, roughly half of the total collection. He doesn’t have an exact count of all the relics at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The long-term goal is to develop a complete catalog and find ways to display more of the relics. Lately, they have also been made available for devotions outside the parish.
“We have lent relics to parishes on the feast day of their patron saint,” said Father Danny Santos Rodrigues, former pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He said that they are also made available to parish groups or individuals for personal devotion.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish has its own rich history. Dating back to the late 1800s, it is the third-oldest Italian-Catholic parish in New Jersey. In 1899, Monsignor Ernest D’Aquila, then the pastor of the church, contacted Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini to request her help in educating the many children of working-class Italian immigrants living in the area. She opened a parochial school in the basement of the original church, later moving to nearby storefronts.
“Everything was lacking,” Mother Cabrini later wrote. “There were no comforts of any kind, but there were Italian sisters who spoke their language. The children sensed that they were loved by them and were happy and faithful to their poor classrooms. Soon attendance rose to 200, then 300, then 400. Many had no desks, no chairs, but it wasn’t important, they (the children) were at the school of the Italian sisters, and this was enough for them.”
In 1946, she was canonized, becoming the first U.S. citizen to be declared a saint. Among the relics at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, visitors will find a strand of her hair, as well as a piece of her heart.
You can view more images of the relics at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish HERE.
Featured image: Hundreds of relics, including a zucchetto worn by Blessed Pius IX, are displayed at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Newark, NJ. (Photos by John Touhey / Archdiocese of Newark)
