Dear Padre Artical - 25th October 2009

Dear Curious,

A relic is an object associated with a saint. A first-class relic is a part of the saint's body, usually a small piece of bone or a lock of hair. A second-class relic is something used by the saint. A third-class relic is an object that touched a first-class relic, such as a rosary that touched a lock of a saint's hair.

Authentic relics have been considered worthy of veneration by the faithful since early Christian times (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1674). The relics of martyrs are placed in altars when they are consecrated, and a parish will often display a relic of its patron saint on his or her feast day.

As you might expect, every item purported to be a relic isn't necessarily the real thing. For example, people sometimes try to sell pieces of wood allegedly from Jesus' cross. If you search auction Web sites, you will be presented with more than one opportunity to buy a "relic of the true cross." This scam is so common that someone once said if you gathered all the "relics" of the true cross in the world, you'd have enough to buid Noah's ark.

Relics can be acquired as gifts from proper sources, such as a diocese or religious order but, according to Code of Canon Law 1190, it is strictly forbidden to sell them.