Parishioners at St. Thomas Aquinas, Charlottesville, had a rare chance to see a first class relic of their patron this month.
The skull of the renowned theologian was on display Dec. 2 for a day of veneration. The visit was part of a 10-city tour of the east coast in honor of the 750th anniversary of the saint’s death.
Canonized on July 18, 1323, the Dominican friar’s contributions to Western philosophy include his commentaries on Aristotle and his unfinished magnum opus, “Summa Theologica.” He was proclaimed Doctor of the Church on April 15, 1567.
“You are here to venerate bone,” said Dominican Father Walter Wagner, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas, in his homily for the votive Mass that morning. “We can leave here and honor St. Thomas, his life and his teaching, by referencing our own bodies, our own minds, and through both, deepen our consciousness of where we are going, to a place where we believe he is praying for us.”
Many of the people who came carried prayer cards, books and rosary beads to touch to the reliquary. Parishioners Aaron and Glynnis Linderman brought their five children.
“We figured it was a rare opportunity, something important for our children to see, and to see that it was important … to their parents and to our bigger life of faith,” Aaron said.
Editor’s note: We’ll have the full story in an upcoming issue of The Catholic Virginian.