Encountering the saints through their relics

St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish in Scottsdale holds a relic of Saint Padre Pio consisting of a glove that covered the stigmata wound on his right hand. Father Fred Adamson, the pastor, stated that Bishop Thomas Olmsted requested the relic for the parish in 2018. The parish maintains a prayer group dedicated to the saint.

Most churches in the Diocese of Phoenix house relics of saints encased within their main altars or in gold reliquaries. This practice follows an ancient tradition where priests celebrated Mass over the tombs of martyrs. While some parishes display relics for public veneration at specific times, many keep them within the altar structure. The Solemnity of All Saints on November 1 serves as a time for the faithful to seek out these objects for veneration and to ask for the intercession of the saints.