ST. JOHN BOSCO'S VISIT TO THE PHILIPPINES

NEGROS AND CEBU PROVINCES

St. John Bosco's relic is on world tour, and the Philippines is one of those countries his relic visited.  His relic made visits to different provinces, cities and towns in the country.  From December 5 to December 23, 2010, his relic visited the cities and towns of the provinces of Negros and Cebu.


The relic's first destination in the Philippines was the Negros province where it stayed there from December 5 to December 11, 2010.  The relic arrived in my hometown, Cebu City on December 12 at the church of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, and from there, it visited other Salesian schools, homes, centers and the church of Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. On December 23, the relic was brought back to the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes for a farewell mass before its voyage to the nation's capital, Manila.  The relic's journey in the Philippines ended on January 15, 2011.  

St. John Bosco's relic at the Archdiocesan Shrine of
Our Lady of Lourdes, Cebu City, Philippines, December 12, 2010

Highlights of the Visit of Saint John Bosco in Negros and Cebu

What is a relic?


The Catholic Church calls as relics the remains of the saints after their death. Relics can either be the entire body or just a part of it. 


In St. John Bosco's case, his relic is his right hand which is carefully preserved and placed inside a special case.  The case is placed inside the replica of his remains which in turn is placed inside a glass urn.  As proof of the authenticity of the relic, the case's cover is topped with a document and Vatican seal, while the urn is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from the Archbishop of Turin and the Vatican Secretary of State.  The relic's world tour is in connection with the preparation of the 200th celebration of Don Bosco's birth on August 16, 2015.


Reference: Salesian Bulletin, Special Issue Vol. 40 No. 2, September - November 2010, pp. 8-9.

Send off of St. John Bosco's relic, December 23, 2010

(Cebu City, Philippines)

St. John Bosco, pray for us!