Pilgrimage to The Maria Stein Relic Shrine Surrounded by 1,199 Relics in Ohio


By: Jason Songe, Seminarian, Archdiocese of New Orleans

Over the Christmas break I set my sights on the Maria Stein Relic Shrine in Ohio. It houses the second-largest collection of relics in the country, behind Pittsburgh. The shrine contains 1,199 relics, 95% of which are first-class relics. On my way out of Louisiana, I saw a few things:

A little further down the road I stopped at St. Martin of Tours Church in Louisville. It houses the skeletal remains of St. Magnus and St. Bonosa. Magnus was a centurion, and Bonosa was a virgin. They were both martyred by Diocletian in the 3rd Century. According to St. Martin’s front/security desk clerk, its adoration chapel–and the church itself–is open 24 hours a day.I can’t think of any other church that’s open 24 hours a day. Send me an e-mail at jasonsonge@nds.edu if you know of any. The clerk and I got into a short conversation, and he said, “I get paid to pray.” I didn’t tell him I was a seminarian, but I thought, “I’d like to do that, too.” Pictures from Louisville and Cincinnati:

And finally into the beautiful country of Ohio. I won’t say much here, as the pictures speak for themselves. But, I do want to relay the peace and calm that came to me in the relic chapel, where all the relics are kept. For a good fifteen minutes, I was in the room by myself. And after having perused the binder of relic holdings, and finding they had a relic of every saint I could think of off the top of my head, I felt as if I was all alone with the whole Church. Once I entered into prayer, there was no past and future. No thoughts. Just presence. I lived in beauty, and then I left and went back to the world. Pictures:


About the Author: Jason Songe, Seminarian, Archdiocese of New Orleans


Jason is a seminarian in Second Pre-Theology.


Disclaimer

All opinions published by the authors on this blog are solely those of the authors. Although the goal is that they should, they do not necessarily express the views and opinions of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Notre Dame Seminary, the Church, or their respective dioceses and bishops.

Notre Dame Seminary and the Archdiocese of New Orleans are not responsible for the comments of commenters, although every effort will be made to remove offensive comments.

If you should find an error or offensive content, please email the NDS Blog editorial team.