ST. john baptist de la salle.

3. LIVING RELICS:
FROM OBJECT TO BEING
Relics in Human History
From time immemorial, human beings have
treasured various kinds of objects as reminders
of persons and events possessing a deep
personal and/or historical significance. The
propensity to hold on to reminders of those we
love or revere is a distinctively human
inclination transcending culture and religion.

4. These tokens, often enshrined in special places in
homes or even worn on one‟s person, inevitably
come to partake of the significance and power of
the person or event with which they are
associated.
Christianity, especially Catholicism, places a
premium on venerating persons whose words,
deeds and influence exude and inspire sanctity,
hence the veneration of saints and their sacred
relics.

5. Veneration of Holy Relics
“The word ‘relics’ comes from the Latin reliquiae
( an object or part of the body which
serves as a memorial of a departed saint).

6. A BIT OF HISTORY ON CHRISTIAN
RELICS
• One of the earliest sources that purports to show the
efficacy of relics is found in 2 Kings 13:20-21:
• 20 Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used
to enter the country every spring. Once while some
Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of
raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb.
When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to
life and stood up on his feet. (NIV)
• These verses are cited to claim that the Holy Spirit's
indwelling also affects the physical body, that God can do
miracles through the bodies of His servants, or both.

7. Relics have been
treasured and
venerated in every
corner of the world.
This practice is deep
rooted in an
instinctive desire to
connect with
historical persons
whose extraordinary
lives became inspiring
templates for ordinary
individuals to imitate.

8. First Class:
Anything belong to the body of venerated person
such as bone, hair, or blood.

9. Second Class:
Any object touched by the venerated person or touched directly
to a part of his or her body such as clothing, personal
possessions, or rosary.

10. Third Class:
Any object touched to a first or second – class relic such
as pieces of cloth, the tomb, or original home

11. To be clear, veneration is profoundly
different from the adoration and worship that
are reserved for God alone. The Merriam –
Webster Online dictionary defines
veneration as
“ respect or awe inspired by the dignity,
wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person.”

12. “ To venerate the relics of the saints is a profession
of belief in several doctrines of the Catholic faith:
1. The belief in everlasting life for those who have obediently witnessed to Christ
c King
and His Holy Gospel here on earth;
2. The truth of the resurrection of the body for all persons on the last day;
3. The doctrine of the splendour of the human body and the respect which all should
show toward the bodies of both the living and the deceased;
4. The belief in the special intercessory power which the saints enjoy in heaven
because of their intimate relationship with Christ the King; and
5. The truth of our closeness to the saints because of our connection in the
communion of saints – we as members of the Church militant or pilgrim Church,
they as members of the Church triumphant.

13. The veneration of relics is licit and useful.
This embodies an article of faith.
The 7th Ecumenical Council (A.D. 787) - condemned "those
who dare to reject any one of the things which are
entrusted to the Church, the Gospel, or the sign of the
cross, or any pictorial representation, or the holy relics of a
martyr".
The Council of Trent - enjoins bishops and pastors to
instruct their flocks that "the holy bodies of saintly martyrs
and others now living with Christ - which bodies were the
living members of Christ and the temple of the Holy Ghost
and which are by Him to be raised unto eternal life and
glorified - are to be venerated by the faithful, for through
these (bodies) many benefits are bestowed by God on men.

14. Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church, perhaps articulated every Catholic
believer‟s desire in venerating saints and their relics
when it said, “ It is supremely fitting, therefore, that
we love those friends and coheirs of Jesus Christ,
who are also our brothers and extraordinary
benefactors, that we render due thanks to God for
them and „suppliantly invoke them and have
recourse to their prayers, their power and help in
obtaining benefits from God through His Son, Jesus
Christ, who is our Redeemer and Saviour.‟‟‟ (LG
50).

15. Is There Proof In The Sacred
Scriptures?
Old Testament and New Testament
Cfr. Ex. XIII, 19
4 Kings XIII, 21
Ecclus. XLIX, 18
2 Kings, 13:20-21 Matt. IX, 20
Acts V, 15-16
Acts XIX, 11
Acts 19:11-12

16. The Journey of the Holy Relics
Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Patron of
Teachers, was born in Rheims, France on 30
April 1651.
De La Salle and the first Brothers took up the
cause of providing the human and Christian
education needs of the youth, especially the
poor, to the point that they vowed to be faithful
to their mission for the rest of their lives, even if
they had to beg and live on bread alone.

17. Such was De La Salle’s reputation for Holiness
that almost the whole city of Rouen, France
mourned his death on 30 April 1719

18. Founder’s Relics: A Gift to the Filipino
People
In the years leading to the
Centennial Year of the Lasallian
Presence in the Philippines, the
Superior General, Br. Alvaro
Rodriguez, FSC gifted the
Philippine Lasallian Family with
a sizeable bone fragment of
Saint John Baptist De La Salle
not only for the intended
pilgrimage to the country’s
schools but also for permanent
enshrinement in the country.

19. The RELIC
of St. John Baptist De La Salle
Patron of all Teachers of Youth
has arrived in
BACOLOD

22. These relics then remind us that de La Salle was
a real person with both gifts and frailties who
became holy by choosing to cooperate with the
work of God in his life.
Being Lasallian means making him real and alive
in our midst, linking others, especially the youth-
at-risk, to the historical person, to his values, to
his dreams for young people, and to his God.

23. May we always remember that we are in
the Holy presence of God. May we always
do all our actions for the love of God. May
Jesus live in our hearts forever.
Mabuhay si San Juan
Bautista de La Salle!
Mabuhay ang tunay na
Lasalyano!

29. Centennial Prayer of the Lasallian Family
God of Love, source of every good,
in every day and age you raise up
Women and Men
to lead, teach and inspire your people.
We thank you for the gift of
St. John Baptist de La Salle.
He has left us the wonderful legacy of a
Gospel-based education which
challenges us to live meaningful lives of
humble service
in favor of the last, the lost and the
least.

30. Centennial Prayer of the Lasallian Family
As we celebrate 100 years
of Lasallian presence in the Philippines,
we commit ourselves to continue your
work by integrating the Lasallian values
of Faith, Zeal for Service, and
Communion in Mission
in our personal lives and in all our
undertakings.
May this bring about the change
we want to see in ourselves,
in our society and in our world.

31. Centennial Prayer of the Lasallian Family
We make this prayer
in your Most Holy Name.
Amen.
St. John Baptist de La Salle: Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts: Forever!

32. Schedule of Activities
Oct 1, 2011 – ARRIVAL at Silay Airport
12:15 MASS in Honor of the Relic
@ San Sebastian Cathedral
PUBLIC VENERATION of the RELIC until
8:00 PM will follow
Oct 2 – 12, 2011 – RELIC will be at the
St. Joseph School Lasalle, Villamonte
Oct 12, 2011 – WELCOME CEREMONY for the
Arrival of the RELIC in USLS
Daily Prayer Vigil & Veneration of the
RELIC OF JBDLS from 730 AM to 730 PM,
venue: MAIN CHAPEL
Oct 22, 2011 – SEND OFF CEREMONY