100 Years of ABCs
T Thomas the Apostle Relic – We have a beautiful bronze plaque directly under our altar with the names of the two saints whose relics are incased in our altar. This tradition dates back to the early church in Rome, where Mass was celebrated on the bones or graves of the faithful. Many times magnificent churches were built right over those bones, as in the case of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican in Rome. Our Saint Thomas Saint’s are: Saint Thomas the Apostle, as we would expect, and a lesser known Saint, Saint Fructuosus. In our altar is a First Class Relic (a small piece of bone) of each of these two holy men. Saint Thomas was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Bishop Fructuosus of Tarragona, Spain, and his two deacons, were martyred together as the first martyrs in Hispania in 259. While being burnt at the stake, Saint Fructuosus, is known for replying in a loud voice in response to someone asking for prayers, “I am bound to bear in mind the whole universal Church from east to west.” How blessed we are to be receiving the prayers of not only our namesake, Saint Thomas the Apostle, but also Bishop and Saint Fructuosus the Martyr! You are welcome to look under the altar and see our beautiful new plaque honoring these two holy examples of faith in adversity.
