Relic of St. John Paul II brought to Archdiocese of Edmonton

The Archdiocese of Edmonton will host a first-class relic of Pope St. John Paul II this October. The relic, known as Ex Sanguine, is a fragment of the blood-stained cassock the pope wore during an assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981.

Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the former personal secretary to St. John Paul II, entrusted the relic to the Church. Father Lester Evangelista of the Diocese of St. Paul, Alberta, serves as its permanent custodian. The relic will be at Our Lady Queen of Poland on Saturday, October 10, with Father Maciej, OMI, and for Mass and veneration on Sunday, October 11. It will also be at Holy Rosary Parish for Mass and veneration at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 16.

Organizers plan to bring the relic to the Diocese of Saskatoon once logistics and approvals are finalized. Parishes and communities in the Diocese of Calgary have also requested to host the relic for public veneration.