Thousands gather to see the relic of St. Francis Xavier
Posted Jan 21, 2018 06:49:54 PM.
Last Updated Jan 22, 2018 05:23:14 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Thousands filtered through St. Albert the Great Parish to get a glimpse and venerate the relic of St. Francis Xavier Sunday.
The 465-year-old forearm is said to have baptized nearly 100,000 followers.
The viewing is part of a 15 city, cross Canada tour.
Sara Francis travelled from across Calgary to attend what she described as a powerful experience.
“St. Francis, I think he really made a real human connection with a lot of people, thousands of people like hundreds of years ago and he’s still doing that today,” said Francis.
Bishop McGrattan welcomed and blessed the thousands that came to visit and venerate the relic.
He said it was wonderful to see so many Catholics and people from all faiths come together.
“It’s a way of evangelizing and sort of re-presenting what we believe in terms of our saints. So, I think the crowds here just show the sense of faith that the people have in terms of their own devotional life.”