Relics of Saint Bernadette Tour the United States in Gold Reliquary

The New York Post reported that the body parts of Saint Bernadette Soubirous are currently touring the United States. The tour includes 140 stops across the country, with 19 showings scheduled in New York and New Jersey. [1]

According to the New York Post, the tour is titled The Journey of Grace. It features a 132-pound, 24-karat gold-plated reliquary containing fragments of her fifth and sixth ribs, her kneecaps, strands of hair, muscle from her right femur, and pieces of her skin. [1]

Bernadette Soubirous was a miller's daughter from Lourdes, France. Between 11 February and 16 July 1858, when she was 14 years old, she experienced 18 visions of the Virgin Mary at a cave-grotto near Lourdes. [1][3]

The New York Post noted that venerating relics, or the physical remains of saints, is a long-standing Catholic tradition, even though it may seem unusual to some people. [1]