Originally published at National Catholic Register
The display will continue until Jan. 5. Pilgrims may visit his relics from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the cathedral.
St. Francis Xavier lived the life of a missionary, baptizing tens of thousands in India and Japan. In death, he continues to give himself to Christ’s Church, as his relics offer pilgrims spiritual consolation in Italy and India.
The saint’s right arm is kept in Italy, while a toe is in India after it was reportedly bitten off by an overzealous pilgrim. But the most intact relic of St. Francis Xavier is his body (nearly whole), which is displayed for veneration every 10 years — in a glass casket to avoid any more toe-related incidents.
At least 12,000 people gathered in the western state of Goa, India, on Thursday for the opening of a decennial exposition of the saint’s partially incorrupt remains. Thursday marked the beginning of a 45-day event where St. Francis Xavier’s relics — normally kept in a casket in the Basilica of Bom Jesus — are displayed at the nearby Se Cathedral for veneration.
The Sacred Relics of St. Francis Xavier was taken into procession from Basilica of Bom Jesus to Se Cathedral Church. The
