After being housed in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist for a century, the relics of St. Christina, an early Christian martyr, were moved recently to St. Sebastian Parish in Akron. Extensive interior renovations to the cathedral are underway and necessitated the relocation.
“We gather here this morning as a community of faith to celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and to mark the transfer of the relics of St. Christina from the cathedral to the parish of St. Sebastian,” said Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost, who celebrated the May 31 Mass (the Sunday after Pentecost) marking the relics’ move.
(See photo gallery above.)
Father John Valencheck, St. Sebastian pastor, and Father Michael Marcelli, parochial vicar, concelebrated the liturgy with the bishop. Assisting with the relics were Johannes Benninghoff and John Scantling, Saint Mary Seminary students who are interning at St. Sebastian.
Adding a special touch to the Mass was the introduction of an original new hymn dedicated to St. Christina. Written by Luke Massery, music director at St. Joseph Parish in Strongsville, “Saint Christina, Holy Martyr,” won a diocesan St. Christina hymn contest. Massery also won for a second hymn, “We are Summoned to God’s Altar,” original lyrics (focusing on St. Christina) set to a common hymn tune. Mary Hrich, director of the diocesan Office for Worship, and Tom Fielding, cathedral music director, coordinated the contest.
Bishop Woost wished everyone “a blessed and a grace-filled feast of all saints,” explaining that in the early Church, the feast was observed the Sunday after Pentecost, which was May 31 this year.
He also gave a brief history of the relics, noting they were a thank-you from Pope Pius XI for significant contribution the diocese gave to the Vatican for archeological explorations in Rome. The bones, determined to be those of a 13- to 14-year-old girl, were discovered in the catacombs of St. Callistus outside Rome. She was martyred for her faith in about the third century. A small glass vial of blood was found with the bones, indicating she was a martyr. Since her name was not known, she was called St. Christina, the feminine version of Christian.
“This is only the second complete skeleton of a martyr gifted to the Church in America,” Bishop Woost said.
“St. Christina’s witness continues today,” he said, noting millions of people in the world live in a state of persecution.
“Our following of Christ makes a difference and our values are meant to have an impact on the world around us … We are all called to be saints, to be holy, faithful disciples and witnesses to the truth of the Gospel message,” the bishop said. “By the providence of God, we are celebrating the witness of St. Christina’s faith once again on this Sunday after Pentecost.”
He thanked St. Sebastian Parish for offering to house the relics for about six or seven months during the work at the cathedral. “I am certain that through St. Christina’s intercession, your community will be blessed.”
Click here for more information about the relics. Learn more about St. Sebastian Parish here.
Photos courtesy of St. Sebastian Parish.