Thousands Flock to Venerate the Skull of St. Thomas

 

Thousands Flock to Venerate the Skull of St. Thomas

By Praedicare Staff

As Fr. Pier Giorgio’s story hinted at, the Dominican Order is in the midst of celebrating a three year jubilee of St. Thomas Aquinas. In 2023, the Order celebrated the700th anniversary of the canonization of St. Thomas; in 2024, the 750th anniversary of St. Thomas’ death; and in 2025, the 800th anniversary of his birth. So when the Dominican friars of the Eastern Province heard that a tour of the major relics of St. Thomas for this jubilee was happening in Europe, they inquired about getting the relics to our shores. And in November 2024, the major relics of St. Thomas Aquinas, namely his skull, traveled from Toulouse, France, to 14 parishes and ministry sites of the Province of St. Joseph.

The task of getting the major relics from France to America fell to Fr. Michael Dosch, O.P., and Fr. Cassian Derbes, O.P. And it was a complex task—discussions in French, navigating permissions of the Archbishop of Toulouse with American bishops, transporting the relic to the US and around the province, and keeping it safe. Noting first the generosity of the Dominicans of the Province of Toulouse, France, and the Archbishop of Toulouse in offering the Province of St. Joseph the opportunity to host the major relics of St. Thomas Aquinas, Fr. Cassian said “we were obviously concerned about the safe movement of the relics and the reliquary, such that we would avoid any damage to something (and someone) so precious.” In addition to safety concerns, there were security concerns, as well. “We moved St. Thomas Aquinas the same way the Metropolitan Museum of Art moves the Mona Lisa when the painting is on loan,” Fr. Cassian said. “We used the same transport company that the Met uses. It was not cheap, but it was well worth the opportunity to have St. Thomas visit our country and our province.” There was also security protocol transporting the relic within the province—two Dominicans were necessary to transport the relic from parish to parish around the province, sometimes at great distances.

 

 

Relics have been a tradition going back to the very early days of the Church when you couldn’t go to the shrine where someone was buried because of persecution, so there became the practice of bringing the buried to you, explained Fr. Michael. “A lot of our parishes have relics, so, as Dominicans, we’re very accustomed to it. But in this case, it was a major relic—the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas—so that’s hard to top! Unless of course you had St. Dominic.” But people know St. Thomas better, he said. “He shapes our theology. At the Dominican House of Studies, we all go through a deep formation in his thought so this is our older brother who we know so well.”

Tens of thousands took the opportunity to venerate the relics of St. Thomas as it made its way through the province. Fr. Michael said most parishes estimated between 2,000-3,000 people came to pray before St. Thomas’ skull, so by his estimation that’s 30,000-40,000 people. Many parishes made special prayer cards for the visit. Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P., composed a special hymn. Special liturgies and preaching were on tap. Even all-night vigils took place.

 

 

In his homily at St. Patrick’s in Columbus, Ohio, pastor Fr. Paul Marich, O.P., provided some insight about this practice of venerating relics and why we do it. He said that “the saints in heaven have not risen yet; they have died in the body, and are still awaiting resurrection. This allows us to pray before their earthly remains—be it at the tomb of a saint in a beautiful church, or today, in our own parish church, as we are given the rare opportunity to venerate the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas…and when we venerate the relics of a saint, we are expressing our belief in the resurrection of the dead, for one day, this relic, along with the rest of St. Thomas’s remains, will rise to become a new and glorious body. Then the beautiful reliquary that is in our church tonight will just be an empty box, much like how the tomb of Christ is empty! For in the end, life is victorious over the grave! Christ is risen, and soon, all the saints—and all of us—will share in his resurrection, rising to a new and glorious life with him!”

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Photos: Jeffrey Bruno

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