St. Francis Xavier relic draws Catholic faithful
Lan Kim woke up at 5 a.m. to get ready for what she thinks will likely be the once-in-a-lifetime chance to pray before the relic of St. Francis Xavier in Vancouver on Wednesday.
She prepared food to take for both herself and her eight-month-old baby, and they made it 20 minutes before the 465-year-old right forearm was brought into the church.
After a mass attended by 750 parishioners, mostly elementary schoolchildren from the church’s school, Kim lined up with the other Catholics and non-Catholics who came to venerate the first-class relic.
She was among thousands expected to visit the relic at three churches while it is in B.C., and on Wednesday morning, a steady stream of visitors waited in a line outside the church before orderly filing to the front.
Catholics believe praying before the arm, displayed upright in a covered glass case, can convert souls and heal people.
“The main prayer is for my uncle, who has prostate cancer, and the conversion of all my family, and all the people and the children of the world, and people suffering and living in poverty, and living in wars,” said Kim, 26, who lives at UBC. “I had a long list of people I wanted to pray for, and I had to write them down in my iPhone to remember them.”
Lan said it was an emotional and moving experience for her to pray before the saint and have her baby touch the case.
Siewan Lau said she found venerating before the relic was “very powerful.” She said she prayed for her family, peace in Canada, and in the whole world.
Caitlyn Lam, 15, of Burnaby, said she took time out of school to attend the “once-in-a-lifetime” experience even though she’s not Catholic.
“I feel good and happy because it’s a saint’s arm,” she said.
The relic, which is on a 15-city cross-country tour, has been venerated by thousands and organizers expected thousands more to have seen it by the end of Wednesday, before and after the 7 p.m. Mass.
The relic was scheduled to be on display at the All-Saints Parish in Coquitlam on Thursday, and at the Catholic Cathedral in downtown Victoria on Saturday before heading to Central Canada.
Non-believers have called praying before a dried detached arm idolatrous, macabre or superstitious.
“We admit it’s unusual, but we emphasize we are not worshipping the arm, it’s more of an occasion for prayer and Catholics believe they receive blessings through the prayer,” said Jesuit priest John O’Brien.
St. Francis Xavier, who was born in Spain and evangelized in Asian countries including India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and China, died in 1552 after converting 100,000 people to Catholicism.