A pilgrimage of faith

Liana Green offers a prayer as she kneels before a relic containing a piece of veil that, according to church-sanctioned tradition, was once worn by Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was one of more than a hundred people that came to the local Catholic church during last week's exhibit of more than 160 holy relics.

Some came simply because they were curious. A few were seeking a glimmer of hope to help them deal with the struggles in their lives. But for others that evening, their visit to a church in Mountain Home marked a pilgrimage of faith.

For several hours last Tuesday, July 23, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church hosted an exposition that featured more than 160 Catholic holy relics, some of which are believed by the church to date back roughly 2,000 years.

The church here had received a rare opportunity to host the exposition, commonly known as the Treasures of the Church. A "unique ministry" that visits churches, schools and prisons across the country every year, plans for the event here began just a few days prior, after a break in the traveling ministry's schedule allowed them to stop in here for the evening.

Mountain Home was the last stop on the ministry's tour through Idaho. It left last week for places in Nebraska.

More than 100 people from Mountain Home, Glenns Ferry, Boise and surrounding communities gathered at the local church to be a part of the experience. Fr. Carlos Martins, who heads the Treasures of the Church ministry, started the evening with a discussion on the meaning and importance of the relics on display.

The relics are a chance for people to "experience the living God" through his saints in the form of these physical objects, Martins said. He stressed that relics "are not magic" but represent the good that comes from God through his actions.

These saints represented by some of the relics serve as a "billboard pointing toward God," he added.

Many of the relics contain actual bits of bone and flesh believed to be from of a particular saint or martyr. Among them were the remains of St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Order, who is often regarded as the patron saint of animals. Another contained a small locket of hair from Pope John Paul II, who was recently selected by the Catholic church to be canonized as a saint.

Others relics at last week's exhibit included items that allegedly were once owned or directly touched by those individuals. They included a tiny piece of veil that, according to church-sanctioned tradition, was once worn by Mary, the mother of Jesus.

However, the one item that drew the most attention that evening were two small pieces of interlocking wood secured inside a glass case. According to Martins, they are some of the largest fragments of the True Cross -- the one used to crucify Jesus Christ approximately 2,000 years ago.

The church takes the authenticity of the relics very seriously, Martins emphasized. In fact, if a seal is ever broken on one, it will never again be shown to the public.

A converted atheist, Martins joined the priesthood 17 years ago. During his time with the Treasures of the Church, he's seen instances where people have had profound personal experiences by touching the relics.

God is "a perfect gentleman" that works through these relics, Martins said.

In some instances, visitors have approached him wondering why they smelled roses or frankincense, a phenomenon that stopped when they sat the relics back on the tables. Children in particular have heard the playing of bells that seemed to resonate in their hearts, he said.

Then there was one instance where a young girl dying of cancer went to one of the ministry's gatherings in search of hope. Laying her hands on the relics, she told her parents that she didn't feel any different, Martins said.

However, she noticed something had changed once the family got into their car to return home. The tumor that had threatened her life was gone, he said. "God touched her so gently that she didn't even perceive it."

Martins said He performed the work that He intended through the relics.

As they waited in line to enter the fellowship hall where the relics were displayed, people like Rachael Warren admitted they were drawn to attend simply out of curiosity.

"I've always been interested in religion and the principles behind it," said Warren, who was raised as a Methodist.

She admitted that she didn't know what she would discover that evening.

Peyton Edwards came to the church along with her mother and sister. Holding a rosary that she received from her church in Meridian, she said a friend of the family attended a similar event recently and encouraged Edwards and her family to attend the one here.

During the evening, visitors were invited and even encouraged to bring articles of devotion with them. Many brought along rosaries while others had pictures of ailing friends and family members. Many individuals touched those items to the relics as they prayed.

Among them was Liana Green, who clasped her hands together as she knelt in front of the relic of the veil of Mary. Hanging from the golden artifact was a medallion she brought with her that bore the image of St. Anthony.

Meanwhile, Lucy Kobusingye attended the event on behalf of her goddaughter, Ashley Whipple. Pausing to kneel at selected relics, she took the framed photograph of the young child and carefully leaned it on the ornate containers.

"I want her to be a saint. I would love for her to be a saint," said Kobusingye, who attends mass each week at St. Mark's Catholic Church in Boise.

For some who came to the church last week, it was an experience they won't soon forget.

"This has been like a mini pilgrimage. We've got it right here in Mountain Home," Kobusingye said.