Sacra in the News

Ave Explores Series | The Peculiar Stuff Catholics Do! Week Two

Sean Pilcher, from Sacra, an apostolate focused on the restoration and recovery of relics, shares the meaning and importance of relics for all Catholics.

Issue 24, Assumption 2024 of The Lamp, written by Sean Pilcher

"he relics of the saints have a kind of long￾sightedness: they have a way of hanging on in times of difficulty and a way of resurfacing when they are required again. There are, unfortunately, hor￾ror stories of the mistreatment or disposal of relics in the last century, but here is one of triumph, the kind of humble, unassuming victory of the saints, worked out in centuries of grace-filled struggle.

The Long Parliament of 1640–1660 afforded the clandestine Catholic clergy of England an unexpected breath of fresh air, more than it had known..."

A 12-Day Sacred Relics Pilgrimage to Rome & Orvieto | October 23 - November 3, 2025

Guest article written about one of the one-hundred and fifty-eight martyrs of Tyburn, St John Southworth, who was martyred at Tyburn in 1654.

'Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross is the source of our redemption, the source of the grace He communicates in the sacramental life of the Church. Now the Cross is the real, physical instrument He used to accomplish our salvation. It is, if you will, the fulcrum, with which He leveraged us from death, and the Devil, and the battering-ram of heaven. "O death, where is thy sting?"'

How can we know what or who is in there?

Relic expert Sean Pilcher speaks about working with relics.

This article is the second of a three-part series on the history and care of sacred relics, authored by Sean Pilcher, Director of Sacra: Relics of the Saints.

This article is the second of a three-part series on the history and care of sacred relics, authored by Sean Pilcher, Director of Sacra: Relics of the Saints.

This article is the first of a three-part series on the history and care of sacred relics, authored by Sean Pilcher, director of Sacra: Relics of the Saints (sacrarelics.org), an apostolate that promotes education about relics, and works to repair, research, and document relics for religious houses and dioceses. Earlier this year, we shared a Latin hymn in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe which he composed; we thank him for sharing his work with us once again.

September 18, 2023

Practicing Catholic is a radio show collaboration between the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis and Relevant Radio 1330AM. www.practicingcatholicshow.com

2023, written by Mark Johnson

“Recently, a visitor to a Wisconsin monastery entered a dimly lit chapel to pray. He noticed near the altar a mysterious, folded parchment in a brass reliquary with a faded wax seal. The monks seemed unsure of the reliquary’s contents or origin. The visitor’s curiosity was piqued, and the abbot gave him permission to temporarily remove and investigate the packet….”

Issue 14, Christmas 2022 of The Lamp, written by Sean Pilcher

“The veneration of relics is a part of our human nature. It reaches to the deepest part of our longing for physical connection on this earth, even though we know the vale of tears is not our final home.

Grandmother’s pearls, Dad’s leather jacket—one can mention any number of treasured family heirlooms, and nearly everyone has some inclination to hold onto the belongings of a lost loved one or of a dear friend. To one unaware, these things are old, tired objects, but they take on a meaning and a history for those who know them. And the respect paid to the bodies and possessions of great men stretches back centuries. …”

2021, interviewed on the podcast from the GK Chesterton Society

You might know something about relics of the saints and other holy people, but would you be able to tell if a relic is real or fake? Sean Pilcher, a uniquely qualified expert, is one of the few individuals in this country that can verify relics. In this episode, Sean explains how he actually verifies a relic, why we venerate them, and at the end of the episode, we'll look at some relics of G.K. Chesterton, which are in Dale Ahlquist's possession.

Reposted by Central Catholic

June 14, 2023

Interview begins at Minute 22

2023, written by OSV

MINNEAPOLIS (OSV News) — Recently, a visitor to a Wisconsin monastery entered a dimly lit chapel to pray. He noticed near the altar a mysterious, folded parchment in a brass reliquary with a faded wax seal.

The monks seemed unsure of the reliquary’s contents or origin. The visitor’s curiosity was piqued, and the abbot gave him permission to temporarily remove and investigate the packet.

September 14, 2023, written by Barb Umberger

“When Sean Pilcher was growing up, he recalled his parish had religious relics, but no one could answer his questions about ‘what is this and why do we care?’

That wondering started him on a path that led to his service today as director of Sacra: Relics of the Saints, an apostolate that promotes veneration of sacred relics. It works with ‘religious communities, dioceses and archives to identify, document, authenticate and repair relics.’” …

October 3, 2023, written by José María Carrera

“No hace falta dedicar mucho tiempo en Google o en Ebay para encontrar todo un mercado negro de reliquias cristianas en Internet. Algunas son vendidas por ingentes cantidades de dinero y son falsas en su mayoría. Sin embargo, su puesta en circulación es una práctica vigente que se suma a su adquisición por gurús esotéricos y sincretistas. Y mientras, continúan las apariciones de otras nuevas en yacimientos arqueológicos y parroqui”

Reposted from OSV and The Catholic Spirit

September 18, 2023 | Written by Jim Graves

“What is a saint’s relic? A relic can be one of three things: part of the body of a saint (a first-class relic); an item, such as a piece of clothing, used by a saint (a second-class relic); or an object touched to a first or second class relic (a third-class relic). …”

2023, Papal Artifacts, written by Fr Richard Kunst

The Curator of renowned Papal Artifacts collection speaks about Sacra’s work of documenting and repairing relics.