Christ is Risen!

Christ is Risen!

RELICS: From early on in the life of the Church, Christian tradition regarded martyrs as the bedrock of the Christian Faith. Their courage, fortitude, and unwavering devotion became powerful expression which had the effect of attracting non-believers to Christianity. As was the custom among those first Christians, they would piously take up the holy remains of those who were martyred and bury them. Then, especially during the time of persecution, they would gather or congregate at the site of these “relics” and hold their services over them. This eventually led to churches being built atop the graves…and even to the placing of martyrs relics into the Altar Table itself.

Fr. John