Two Sydney parishes will welcome a 410 kilogram relic statue of St John Bosco, better known as Don Bosco, in August as part of a national tour marking 100 years of the order in Australia.
In Catholic Christianity, a relic is an object of great reverence, helping to remind individuals of the holiness of a saint and the fulfillment of God’s work throughout their life. A relic can consist of anything from the bones of a saint to an object that the saint came in contact with during his or her lifetime. Despite a report that the relic encased in the statue is a small part of the saint’s brain, assistant priest at St John Bosco parish in Engadine, Fr Frank Bertagnolli SDB, told The Catholic Weekly it is actually a small bone or bone fragment from his right arm.
“The visit of his relic will demonstrate the positive contribution that the Salesian family has made over 100 years.” – Fr Bertagnolli
To see the full article on page 7 of The Catholic Weekly, click here.
