Relic of St. Mary Magdalene comes to St. Landry Catholic Church

Appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene
by Alexander Ivanov
Noli Me Tangere - "Do not touch me"

As part of a first visit to the United States of America, from October 21 to November 30 of 2009, a relic of St. Mary Magdalene will be at St. Landry Catholic Church on Friday, November 6, 2009.

This is a very special event for us with a full day scheduled.

Fr. Thomas Michelet, a Dominican priest, will be touring with the permission of Bishop Dominique Rey of the Diocese of Frejus-Toulon, where the relic is normally housed. This is the first time the relic will be in the United States. Click on the image of the letter from the bishop below to read it.



Mary Magdalene is recorded in the Gospels as the first witness of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

“The relics, hidden at the time of the Saracen invasions (Early Middle Ages), were found in 1279, the date from which they have been venerated without interruption,” the Bishop writes. “They are presently kept by the Dominican priests in the cave of St. Baume, a part of my diocese. A new reliquary has been constructed to allow one of the relics, a piece of the tibia, to travel to different countries for veneration by the entire Church.”

Click on the photo below to see the relic up closer.

And click on the photo below to see the new reliquary.

Itinerary

8:40 a.m. Opelousas Catholic All School Prayer Service Receiving Relic

Entrance of the Reliquary containing St. Mary Magdalene relic at the beginning of entrance procession. A Dominican Priest gives the homily. Following the Prayer Service, there is personal veneration by the students and public.

10:30 a.m. A French Language Presentation

Following French Language Presentation, there is veneration by the public.

12:10 p.m. Votive Mass of St. Mary Magdalene for the public

A Dominican Priest gives the homily. Following Mass, there is personal veneration by the public.

3:30 p.m. An English Language Presentation

Following English Language Presentation, there is veneration by the public.

6:30 p.m. A Spanish Language Presentation

Following Spanish Language Presentation, there is veneration by the public until departure of the Relic.

The Lord said to Mary Magdalene: Go and tell my brothers that I shall ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and to your God.
(John 20:17)

Prayer

Father,
your Son first entrusted to Mary Magdalene
the joyful news of his resurrection.
By her prayers and examples
may we proclaim Christ as our living Lord
and one day see him in glory,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

[From Roman Sacramentary, July 22nd ]

As recorded in St. John’s Gospel:

But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Women why are you weeping?” “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,’ and what he told her. (John 20:11-18)

To prepare spiritually for this historic visit of St. Mary Magdalene’s relic, please make an effort to:

• Want to see and to attend to Jesus Christ as St. Mary Magdalene did.


• Experience the joy and surprise of witnessing Jesus Christ in our own lives as St. Mary Magdalene did.


• Respond to Jesus’ instruction to tell others of Jesus Christ as St. Mary Magdalene did.

Prior to the relic coming to St. Landry Catholic Church, Father Thomas Michelet will appear at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 on a special “EWTN Live” with Father Mitch Pacwa to discuss the story of St. Mary Magdalene and the relic, which is coming to the U.S. from France for the first time. EWTN broadcasts on Charter Cable Channel 35 in the Opelousas area.