DETROIT — On the Solemnity of All Saints, Nov. 1, the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament hosted the faithful for a special celebration of the Church's saints, complete with the veneration of more than 70 sacred relics from throughout the Church's history.
The All Saints Relic Encounter included a prayerful morning that began with 8 a.m. Mass, which included the Litany of Saints, after which visitors quietly circulated among reliquaries containing relics of the True Cross, the Blessed Virgin Mary's veil, St. Carlo Acutis, Blessed Solanus Casey, St. Bernadette, St. John the Baptist, St. Luke, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare, St. Martin de Porres, St. Anne and several of the apostles.
Pilgrims were invited to touch rosaries or devotional objects to the relics as they prayed for the saints’ intercession.
In his homily, cathedral rector Fr. J.J. Mech reflected on the Beatitudes as a “roadmap to holiness,” reminding the faithful that the saints were “human brothers and sisters who struggled just like you.”
Fr. Mech encouraged those present to choose one Beatitude and one saint to pray with as they moved through the encounter. “We have this cloud of witnesses that goes before us,” he said. “(We can ask them), 'Pray for me. Pray for my sick child. Pray for my friend.' And remember, we are not alone.”
As the Church remembers the saints and the faithful departed in the month of November, Fr. Mech said the cathedral hopes opportunities like the relic encounter strengthen and inspire the Church by the example of the holy men and women who have gone before us.
For attendees like Stephen Miller, a parishioner at St. Moses the Black Parish in Detroit, it was a powerful reminder of the closeness of the saints.
“We need their intercession every day,” Miller said. “Our spirits need to stay uplifted, and through the saints, we are able to do so.”
(Photos by Izzy Cortese | Detroit Catholic)
