Relic of St Francis Xavier Coming to Perth
An initiative of the The Year of Grace is a National Pilgrimage of a relic of St Francis Xavier.
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This is significant for the Australian Catholic Church and its multi-cultural nature, as many in our Church trace their heritage to The Apostle to the Indies and wider Asian Continent.
Until 1976, St Francis Xavier was a Patron Saint of Australia.
The rich diversity of the Perth Archdiocese will be enthused, since St Francis Xavier is widely venerated in the Indian, Indonesian , Japanese, and Chinese Catholic communities, to name only a few of the many Asian nationalities his mission reached.
Bishop Peter Comensoli, Auxilary Bishop of Sydney and National custodian of the reliquary, said, “We are a multicultural Church in Australia, and St Francis Xavier is a saint for all kinds of cultures.” He described Xavier as a “tremendous evangeliser.”
Cardinal Avery Dulles SJ noted: “Evangelisation was the sum and substance of what St Francis Xavier accomplished in his arduous missionary journeys.”
The spiritual zeal of Xavier inspires the Church’s response to the New Evangelisation, described by Blessed John Paul II as the fruit of Vatican II.
Within the Year of Grace, Australia is especially blessed to have the relic travel nationally, visiting each diocese as we the Church contemplate the centrality of Christ in our lives. St Francis Xavier is a perfect example to the Church’s response to the New Evangelisation.
The Perth Archdiocese will host the relic from 25 – 30 October 2012. The relic will arrive from Adelaide and then continue its pilgrimage to the Geraldton Diocese.
A full itinerary and details of events planned for the visit are available: http://liturgycentre.com.au/visit/
The website also provides a world map of the extensive missionary travels of St Francis Xavier, offering a summary of his activities in the many places the evangelist visited.
The website also offers an explanation of the classification of relics and the Church’s faithful Scriptural tradition of relics.
The website is always updating, with further information being added of the Liturgical events unfolding in Perth.