This is a antique copper theca with silver front, inside relics of Saint Andrew the
Apostle, Saint Barnabas the Apostle, Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, Saint John
the Apostle, Saint Jude Thaddeus, Saint Matthias the Apostle, Saint Peter the
Apostle, Saint Paul Apostle, Saint Philip the Apostle, Saint Simon the Apostle,
Saint Thomas the Apostle, Saint Matthias the
Apostle and Evangelist, Saint
Jacobi Major,Saint Jacobi Minor, de Sepulcro B.M.V, de pallio Saint Joseph and
de Sepulcro Domini Nostri Jesu Chr.
All relics in place
and wax seal and threads intact. Sealed with the seal of Engelbertus
Sterckx who was Archbishop at Mechelen.
Comes from a convent
in Belgium. Measures 3,5x2,8 inch.Shipping
and handling US$ 27,00 by insured priority mail and tracking number. All my
items are securely packet, to avoid all possible damage.
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devotion.
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relics are increasingly more and more of a problem. Most of the relics I sell
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than 25 years. I consider myself an expert. Please contact
me if you have any questions.
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Engelbertus Sterckx
was born 2 November 1792 in Ophem, Brabant. His parents were farmers. He began
his studies in Vilvoorde, after which he studied humanities at the college of
Enghien (1805-1807). After secondary school in Leuven, he entered the Major
Seminary, Mechelen, on 18 September 1811 and in 1813 was named subsecretary of
archdiocesan curia of Mechelen in 1813.
Sterckx was ordained, with an age
exemption, as priest for the Archdiocese of Mechelen, on 18 February 1815. He
was vice-regent and professor of philosophy and moral theology at Mechelen from
1815 to 1821 when he was appointed pastor at Boechout. In 1824 he was appointed
archpriest of the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp. In 1827, he was named vicar
general to Archbishop, Francis Anthony de Méan of Mechelen, and organized the
opposition of the clergy to the religious policies of William I.
Saint
Matthew the Apostle
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
Son
of Alphaeus, he lived at Capenaum on Lake Genesareth. He was a Roman tax
collector, a position equated with collaboration with the enemy by those from
whom he collected taxes. Jesus’ contemporaries were surprised to see the Christ
with a traitor, but Jesus explained that he had come “not to call the just, but sinners.”
Matthew’s Gospel is given pride of place
in the canon of the New
Testament, and was written to convince Jewish readers that their
anticipated Messiah had come in the person of Jesus.
He preached among the Jews for 15 years; his audiences may have
included the Jewish enclave in Ethiopia, and places in the East.
Canonized
Patronage
Saint Andrew the Apostle
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
The
first Apostle. Fisherman by trade. Brother of Simon Peter.
Follower of John the Baptist. Andrew went through life leading people to
Jesus, both before and after the Crucifixion. Missionary in Asia
Minor and Greece, and possibly areas in
modern Russia and Poland. Martyred on
an saltire (x-shaped) cross, he is said to
have preached for two days from it.
Some
peculiar marriage-related superstitions have attached themselves
to Saint Andrew’s feast day.
·
An
old German tradition says that single women who wish
to marry should ask for Saint Andrew’s help on the eve of
his feast, then sleep naked that night; they will see their future
husbands in their dreams.
·
Another
says that young women should note the location of
barking dogs on Saint Andrew’s Eve: their future husbands
will come from that direction.
·
On
the day after Andrew’s feast, young people float cups in a tub;
if a boy‘s and a girl‘s cup drift together and are intercepted by a cup
inscribed “priest”, it indicates marriage.
There
are several explanations for why Andrew became
the patron of Scotland.
·
In 345,
Emperor Constantine the Great decided to translate Andrew’s bones
from Patras, Greece to Constantinople. Saint Regulus
of Scotland was instructed by an angel to take many of
these relics to the far northwest. He was eventally told to stop on
the Fife coast of Scotland, where he founded the settlement of Saint
Andrew.
·
In
the 7th century, Saint Wilfrid of York brought some of the saint‘s relics with
him after a pilgrimage to Rome, Italy.
The Scots king, Angus MacFergus, installed them at Saint Andrew’s to
enhance the prestige of the new diocese.
·
When
the Pictish King Angus faced a large invading army,
he prayed for guidance. A white cloud in the form of a saltire
cross floated across the blue sky above him. Angus won a decisive victory,
and decreed that Andrew would be the patron saint of his country.
Following Robert Bruce’s victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Declaration of Arbroath officially
named Saint Andrew the patron saint of Scotland. The
Saltire became the national flag of Scotland in 1385.
Born
Died
Patronage
Saint Bartholomew the
Apostle
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
One
of the Twelve Apostles. Probably a close friend of Saint Philip;
Bartholomew’s name is always mentioned in the Gospels in connection
with Philip, and it was Philip who brought Bartholomew to Jesus.
May have written a gospel, now lost; it is mentioned in other
writings of the time. May have preached in Asia
Minor, Ethiopia, India and Armenia; some one did, leaving
behind assorted writings, and local tradition says it was
Bartholomew. Martyr.
Born
Died
Patronage
Saint Barnabas the Apostle
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
Levite
Jewish convert, coming to the faith soon after Pentecost,
taking the name Barnabas.
Though not of the chosen Twelve Apostles, Barnabas is mentioned frequently
in the Acts of the Apostles, is included among the prophets and
doctors at Antioch, and is considered an Apostle. Companion
of Saint Paul who introduced him to the Apostles.
Like Paul, Barnabas believed in the Church‘s mission
to Gentiles, and worked with him in Cyprus and Asia, but split
with him over a non-theological matter. Evangelized in Cyprus with Saint Mark.
Founded the Church in Antioch. Subject and
possible author of some apocryphal works. Martyr.
Born
Died
Canonized
Name Meaning
Patronage
Saint Matthias the Apostle
Memorial
Profile
Apostle.
As he could bear witness to the Resurrection of Jesus, he was chosen to
replace Judas Iscariot. Preached the Gospel for more than 30
years in Judea, Cappadocia, Egypt and Ethiopia. Remembered
for preaching the need for mortification of the flesh with regard to
all its sensual and irregular desires. Martyr.
Died
Canonized
Patronage
Saint Jude Thaddeus
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
Son
of Cleophas, who died a martyr, and Mary who stood at the foot
of the Cross, and who annointed Christ’s body after death. Brother
of Saint James the Lesser. Nephew of Mary and Joseph;
blood relative of Jesus Christ, and reported to look a lot like him. May have
been a fisherman. Apostle.
Wrote the
canonical Epistle named for him. Preached in Syria, Mesopotamia,
and Persia with Saint Simon. Tradition says that he
and Saint Bartholomew were among the first to
bring Christianity to Armenia. Jude was known to have the gift
of healing, and to serve as an exorcist; he
could exorcise pagan idols, which caused the demons to flee them
and the statues to crumble.
His patronage of
lost or impossible causes traditionally derives from confusion by many early
Christians between Jude and the traitor Judas Iscariot; not understanding the
difference between the names, they never prayed for Jude’s help, and devotion
to him became something of a lost cause.
Died
Canonized
Name Meaning
Patronage
Saint Simon the Apostle
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
Apostle.
Called the Cananean or Zealot because of his zeal for
the Jewish law; he was not from Cana, nor a member of the Zealot party. Like all
the Apostles, he was a convert, and was trained
by Saint Peter the
Apostle. Evangelized in Egypt and Mesopotamia, though
there are traditions of him being in several other locations. He was
a martyr for the faith, but several places claim to have been
the site of that, too.
Died
Canonized
Patronage
Saint Philip the Apostle
Memorial
Profile
Disciple
of Saint John the Baptist. Convert. One of the
Twelve Apostle. Brought Saint Nathanael to Christ.
Confidant of Jesus. Little is known about him, but scriptural episodes give the
impression of a shy, naive, but practical individual. Preached in Greece and Asia
Minor. Martyr.
Born
Died
Canonized
Patronage
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
Cousin
of Jesus. Brother of Saint Jude Thaddeus. Raised is a Jewish home of
the time with all the training in Scripture and Law that was part of that
life. Convert. One of the Twelve Apostles. One of the first to have visions
of the risen Christ. First Bishop of Jerusalem. Met
with Saint Paul the Apostle to work out Paul‘s plans
for evangelization. Supported the position that
Gentile converts did not have to obey all Jewish religious law,
though he continued to observe it himself as part of his heritage, may have
been a vegetarian. A just and apostolic man known for his prayer life
and devotion to the poor. Martyr.
Having
been beaten to death, a club almost immediately became his symbol. This
led to his patronage of fullers and pharmacists, both
of whom use clubs in their professions. He is reported to have spent so much
time in prayer that his knees thickened, and looked like a camel’s.
Soon after the Crucifixion, James said he would fast until Christ
returned; the resurrected Jesus appeared to him, and fixed a meal for James
Himself.
Died
Canonized
Patronage
Saint James the Greater
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
Son
of Zebedee and Salome, brother of Saint John the Apostle, and may
have been Jesus’ cousin. He is called “the Greater” simply because he became
an Apostle before Saint James the Lesser. Apparent disciple
of Saint John the Baptist. Fisherman. He left everything when
Christ called him to be a fisher of men. Was present during most of the
recorded miracles of Christ. Preached in Samaria,
Judea, and Spain. First Apostle to be martyred.
The pilgrimage to
his relics in Compostela became such a popular devotion
that the symbols of pilgrims have become his emblems, and he
became patron of pilgrims. His work in Spain, and the
housing of his relics there, led to his patronage of the
country and all things Spanish; for centuries,
the Spanish army rode to battle with the cry “Santiago!” (“Saint James!”)
Like
all men of renown, many stories grew up around James. In one, he brought back
to life a boy who had been unjustly hanged, and had
been dead for five weeks. The boy‘s father was
notified of the miracle while he sat at supper.
The father pronounced the story nonsense, and said his son was no
more alive than the roasted fowl on the table; the
cooked bird promptly sat up, sprouted feathers, and flew away.
Died
Canonized
Patronage
Saint Thomas the Apostle
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
Apostle.
He was ready to die with Jesus when Christ went to Jerusalem, but is best
remembered for doubting the Resurrection until allowed to touch Christ’s
wounds. Preached in Parthia, Persia and India,
though he was so reluctant to start the mission that he had to be
taken into slavery by a merchant headed that way. He eventually
gave in to God‘s will, was freed, and planted the
new Church over a wide area. He formed many parishes and
built many churches along the way. An old tradition says that
Thomas baptised the wise men from the Nativity
into Christianity.
His
symbol is the builder’s square; there are several stories that explain it
·
he
built a palace for King Guduphara in India
·
he
built the first church in India with his own hands
·
it
is representative building a strong spiritual foundation as he had complete
faith in Christ (though initially less in the Resurrection)
·
he
offered to build a palace for an Indian king that would last
forever; the king gave him money, which Thomas promptly gave away to
the poor; he explained that the palace he was building was in heaven, not
on earth
Died
bones and the spear that killed him
are enshrined in
the Saint Thomas Cathedral Basilica
Canonized
Patronage
Saint John the Apostle
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
Son
of Zebedee and Salome. Fisherman. Brother of Saint James the
Greater, and called one of the Sons
of Thunder. Disciple of Saint John the Baptist. Friend
of Saint Peter the Apostle. Called by Jesus during the first year of
His ministry, and traveled everywhere with Him, becoming so close as
to be known as the beloved
disciple. Took part in the Last Supper. The only one of the Twelve not
to forsake the Saviour in the hour of His Passion, standing at the foot of the
cross. Made guardian of Our Lady by Jesus, and he
took her into his home. Upon hearing of the Resurrection, he was the
first to reach the tomb; when he met the risen Lord at the lake of Tiberias, he
was the first to recognize Him.
During
the era of the new Church, he worked in Jerusalem and
at Ephesus. During Jesus’ ministry, he tried to block
a Samaritan from their group, but Jesus explained the open nature of
the new Way, and he worked on that principle to found churches in Asia
Minor and baptizing converts in Samaria. Imprisoned with Peter for preaching after Pentecost. Wrote the
fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and possibly the Book of Revelation. Survived
all his fellow apostles.
Traditional stories:
·
Emperor
Dometian had him brought to Rome, beaten, poisoned, and thrown
into a cauldron of boiling oil, but he stepped out unharmed and was banished to
Patmos instead. This is commemorated by the feast of Saint John
before the Latin Gate.
·
When
John was en route to preach in Asia, his ship
was wrecked in a storm; all but John were cast ashore. John was
assumed dead, but two weeks later the waves cast him ashore alive at the
feet of his disciple Prochoros.
·
When
John denounced idol worship as demonic, followers of Artemis stoned
him; the rocks turned and hit the throwers.
·
He prayed in
a temple of Artemis; fire from heaven killed 200 men who worshipped
the idol. When the remaining group begged for mercy, he raised the 200
from the dead; they all converted and were baptized.
·
Drove
out a demon who had lived in a pagan temple for 249 years.
·
Aboard
ship, he purified vessels of sea water for drinking.
·
Ceonops,
a magician, pretended to bring three dead people come to life; the
“people” were actually demons who mimicked people so the magician
could turn people away from Christ. Through prayer, John caused the
magician to drown and the demons to vanish.
·
Once
a year his grave gave off a fragrant dust that cured the sick.
Died
Canonized
Patronage
Saint Paul the Apostle
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
Jewish
Talmudic student. Pharisee. Tent-maker by trade. Saul the
Jew hated and persecuted Christians as heretical, even assisting
at the stoning of Saint Stephen the Martyr. On his way
to Damascus, Syria, to arrest another group
of faithful, he was knocked to the ground, struck blind by a
heavenly light, and given the message that in persecuting Christians, he
was persecuting Christ. The experience had a profound spiritual effect on him,
causing his conversion to Christianity. He was baptized,
changed his name to Paul to
reflect his new persona, and
began travelling, preaching and teaching. His letters to
the churches he help found form a large percentage of the New Testament. Knew
and worked with many of the earliest saints and fathers of
the Church. Martyr.
Born
Died
Canonized
Patronage
Saint Peter the Apostle
Also known as
Memorial
Profile
Professional fisherman.
Brother of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the man who led him to Christ.
Apostle. Renamed “Peter” (rock)
by Jesus to indicate that Peter would be the rock-like foundation on which the
Church would be built. Bishop.
First Pope. Miracle worker.
Born
Died
Canonized
Name Meaning
Patronage