A first-class relic of St. Jude’s arm bone will be on display Tuesday, Oct. 3, at St. Joseph Parish, 567 St. Joseph Lane in Manchester. The relic will be available for veneration beginning at 1 p.m. Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski will celebrate Mass at 7 p.m., with veneration continuing until 10 p.m.

Treasures of the Church, a U.S.-based evangelization ministry that brings relics to locations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, is hosting the tour of St. Jude’s relic.

“St. Jude is one of the Church’s most beloved saints, and his intercessory power with God, his uncanny ability to come through with a happy resolution to the petitions presented to him, has earned him the nickname, ‘the apostle of the impossible,’” Father Carlos Martins, director of Treasures of the Church, said in a video promoting the tour. “More than any other saint, St. Jude is the saint to whom people turn when they’re hopeless and have tried everything else to obtain an heavenly favor. St. Jude is the one whom people turn to hope.”

The saint’s arm was separated from the greater portion of his remains several centuries ago and placed in a wooden reliquary in the shape of a priest’s arm imparting a blessing. The reliquary was last opened during the time of Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani, who served as vicar general for the Archdiocese of Rome from 1931-51. His seals enclose it, ensuring provenance and authenticity.

Ancient records identify Beirut as the place of St. Jude’s martyrdom and burial. Sometime later, his body was transferred to Rome and placed in a crypt within the original St. Peter’s Basilica, completed by the Emperor Constantine in 333 A.D. Today, his remains are in the left transept of the current basilica (completed in 1626), below the main altar of St. Joseph, within a tomb also holding the remains of the apostle Simon. The resting place has become a popular destination for pilgrims who have a devotion St. Jude.

The tour of St. Jude’s relic will continue through May 2024. For more information on the relic and the tour, visit www.ApostleOfTheImpossible.com.

>> What is a relic?

In Catholic tradition, a relic is a physical object associated with a saint that may be offered to the faithful for veneration. Relics and saints aren’t to be worshipped. They are venerated as holy objects in recognition of the fact that God has worked through the saint. A major or first-class relic is defined as a part of the saint’s body, as opposed to something that the saint touched or wore.