Mary Magdalene tibia bone on display at Yorkville church
By Judy Pochel For The Beacon-News March 5, 2013 2:12PM
A partial tibia bone believed to be from St. Mary Magdalene will be on display at St. Patrick’s Parish in Yorkville next week.| SUBMITTED
Updated: April 7, 2013 6:12AM
YORKVILLE — A “first class relic” of St. Mary Magdalene will be on display in the Fox Valley next week.
St. Patrick’s Parish in Yorkville will display a partial tibia bone on Monday. Special services and opportunities to view the bone as well as take part in discussions are scheduled.
“A ‘first class relic’ is part of a person’s body,” said Mary Dunn of St. Patrick’s Parish. She said many times, “miracles are verified,” as having taken place when in the presence of such a relic.
Part of the “2013 U.S. Tour,” the relic will be on display in the parish beginning at 7:45 a.m. Monday when the bone will be part of a candlelight procession to the altar at the church, at 406 Walnut St.
A special extended confession time will follow with special services all day, designed to allow the faithful to take advantage of the time while in the presence of a relic from the woman who was the first to witness Jesus after his Resurrection.
The schedule for the entire day includes prayers, special masses as well as spiritual discussions to take place at the church. The full day schedule of events is listed on the church’s Facebook site.
The relic is part of the body believed to be that of Mary Magdalene found in 1279 by Charles II in France. With the body, a wooden tablet was found wrapped in a piece of parchment identifying the body as that of Mary Magdalene.
The Diocese of Joliet first alerted church congregations to the tour of the bone several months ago.
“We put our name in as a church to host it and found out a few months ago we were chosen,” said Dunn.
“We have had relics here in the past but not hosted them and we have never had a ‘first class relic,’” she said.
Some 1,300 families attend the parish and many are expected to take part in the special services during the day.
St. Mary’s School in Plano will have the relic from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Monday. After that, it will continue on tour, spending the month of March in several Illinois communities.
Rev. Michael Callea, an associate pastor at the St. Patrick’s, said he has been in the presence of a first class relic in the past.
“In 2000 there was a two-hour wait to see the relics of St. Therese,” in Washington, he said.
But he does not expect that size crowd on Monday in Yorkville.
Paula Lawlor is traveling with the exhibit and said it was because of a personal miracle that she has chosen to accompany the relic.
“I went to France and visited the cave the body was found in and had an amazing experience there,” she said.
Lawlor said she is paying for most of the expenses associated with the tour because she wanted “others to have miracles for themselves, share with people.”
For a full listing of the relic history and tour, visit magdalenepublishing.org.
