Major Relic of St. John Paul II to Visit Orlando

Bishop Noonan to host relic Aug 9-10

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Aug 07, 2014, 04:48 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An important relic of St. John Paul II will be available for veneration at Orlando's Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe on Saturday, Aug. 9, and Sunday, Aug. 10.

The tour is being sponsored by the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., and the Knights of Columbus, and will remind many of the historic visit John Paul made to Florida in 1987.

The relic will be available for veneration this Saturday from 1:00 to 7:30 pm and will be interrupted only by the 6 p.m. Vigil Mass to be celebrated by Orlando Bishop John Noonan, who will bless the congregation with the relic at the conclusion of Mass. On Sunday, there will be a blessing with the relic after each of the Sunday masses (7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 am and 6 p.m.). Veneration by the faithful will be available for one hour at 8:30 a.m.on Sunday and following the 6 p.m. Mass.

The relic is similar to one displayed at the April 27 canonization of Pope John Paul. It consists of a vial of his blood that was entrusted to the Knights of Columbus for the Saint John Paul II National Shrine by his longtime personal secretary Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow.

The tour of the St. John Paul relics to several American cities in recent months has been organized by the shrine to highlight John Paul's close connection to the United States that came through his frequent journeys here. It has also provided the faithful who were unable to attend the ceremony in Rome an opportunity to pay their respects to the new saint.

The relic is normally housed at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, which is administered by the Knights in Washington, D.C. The site was designated a national shrine by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops earlier this year. This summer, it will debut a new 16,000-square-foot, state-of-the art exhibit on John Paul's life and legacy.

More information is available at http://www.jp2shrine.org

SOURCE Knights of Columbus