Hundreds Of Religious Relics Will Be On Display At Montclair Church

MONTCLAIR, NJ — An exhibit featuring more than 500 sacred Catholic relics will be on display at a church in Montclair on Saturday, April 5.

The display will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Oratory, 94 Pine Street in Montclair. For more information, including parking and handicap accommodations, click here.

“The saints were ordinary people who did extraordinary things for the world,” said Giandomenico Flora, rector of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Oratory.

“Their relics remind us that we can all follow their example — everyone has the potential to be holy,” Flora said.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you plan to visit, according to a news release from the archdiocese:

“Though visitors are restricted from physically touching the relics, they are encouraged to place personal items against the reliquaries surrounding them. This act transforms those items into third-class relics that can be prayed with at home. For those who do not have appropriate items to bring, rosaries and other blessed pieces can be purchased at OLMC for a modest church donation. Visitors are also encouraged to hold photos of loved ones against the glass, symbolically entrusting them to the religious figure’s care. After venerating the relics in the church hall, guests are invited to go to confession and pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet in the nave. They are also welcome to attend OLMC’s regular Saturday evening Mass celebrated at 4:30 p.m.”

This is the second time OLMC is hosting an exhibit featuring relics from the collection of Joseph Santoro, the International Crusade for Holy Relics’ regional delegate to the U.S. In 2024, about 3,500 people from across the Northeast attended an exhibit with over 200 artifacts.

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