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

The Archdiocese of Edmonton is hosting 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 the May 13, 1981, assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square.

The relic was entrusted to the Church by Stanisław Cardinal Dziwisz, the former personal secretary to St. John Paul II. Father Lester Evangelista of the Diocese of St. Paul serves as the permanent custodian. When not scheduled for public veneration, the relic stays in the parishes assigned to Father Evangelista.

The visit to Edmonton includes scheduled veneration at Our Lady Queen of Poland on October 10 and 11 with Father Maciej, OMI, and at Holy Rosary Parish on October 16 following a 7 p.m. Mass. Following the Edmonton visit, the relic may travel to the Diocese of Saskatoon once logistics and approvals are finished. Parishes in the Diocese of Calgary have also invited the relic to visit.