Loading ...Here, known but to God, lies…Well, we’re not quite sure…
flockwoodThis is an unusual item from the Nov. 9 bulletin of Lexington, Kentucky’s Cathedral of Christ the King:
RELICS SEARCH—The CTK Archive Committee for the past year has been researching the identity of the relics in the altars of Christ the King. The main altar contains the relics of two saints and there is one in Mary’s altar and one in St. Joseph’s altar. If anyone has any information concerning whose
relics are embedded in the marble structures, please contact Rita Schara, 223-2396 or Rosie Mandia, 266-8277.
November 15th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
What strikes me as unusual, as there is no record of any internment of the contents. Most churches that have the historical background as this cathedral would have a record of what and when any relics were placed in the altar, followed by a ceremony or a mass. I wonder if there is any data from the newspapers or in the library in books about the history of church. I would look into church records along with city records, I would suspect that some sort of special conditions had to exist with the city for this action to be performed, maybe a permit of some kind or a waiver.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Well, perplexed, actually there’s not much historical background to look at. The parish itself wasn’t formed until 1945, and used a prefab building until the current building was built in the mid-60s. The current building was dedicated in 1967. You’d think someone would remember what happened in 1967, particularly if they were carrying body parts around. I doubt that the city issues permits for relics, but you’d think that if the church still takes this kind of thing seriously (and I guess they do, amazingly), they’d keep some record of who they stuck where.
November 17th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Caleb, I would think that any sort of body part internment would have to have some sort of condition that would have had to have been met by the city. I suppose the location of the church now, could have had it in the county at the time it was built, but I’m not sure. I wonder if they church has research the bullitens from the publishers, perhaps that could lead them to a clue. That would have them in the covington diocese in the 60′s, miight take a trip to covington to do a little research. Sounds like quite a quest for somebody with some time.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:19 am
I suspect that the rules for burial of dead bodies get a little muddled when the body is only a small bone fragment, and is hundreds of years old, and deemed a religious object at that. I imagine that you’re right about the ultimate answer being in the records somewhere, perplexed; Catholics seem to take these things seriously enough to write it down somewhere.