In top photo, Bishop O’Connell and Father Jean Felicien stand before the reliquary containing the relics of St. Bernadette. Mary Stadnyk photo
By: Kayla Latendresse, Correspondent and Mary Stadnyk, Associate Editor
Many of the faithful who approached the relics of St. Bernadette Soubirous in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, spoke of the opportunity to venerate them as a blessing.
St. Bernadette was 14 when she witnessed 18 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary near the Grotto of Massabielle in 1858 in Lourdes, France. Mary asked her to pray for sinners and to have priests build a small chapel at the site, which since has become renowned as a place of miracles of healing.
In Freehold, before venerating the relics, visitors had holy water from Lourdes poured onto their hands. They then approached the relics to express their reverence and devotion through touch, prayer and personal reflection.
PHOTO GALLERY: Co-Cathedral hosts visit of St. Bernadette relics
PHOTO GALLERY: Opening Ceremony marking the arrival of the relics
The relics were on display at the Co-Cathedral Oct. 10-11 as part of a coast-to-coast pilgrimage across the United States. The Co-Cathedral was the pilgrimage’s 16th stop, with approximately 140 locations expected nationwide. The two-day visit included Mass, Confession, opportunities for veneration and a candlelight Rosary.
A ceremonial welcome
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and Father Jean Felicien, diocesan chancellor, were on hand when the relics arrived in St. Robert Bellarmine around noon Oct. 10. Father Brian Meinders, parochial vicar, led an opening prayer service.
As the congregation joined in the singing of “Immaculate Mary,” members of the Knights of Columbus carried the reliquary – enclosed in glass – and a large, white statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in procession down the center aisle.
When the reliquary reached the base of the Co-Cathedral’s sanctuary, Bishop O’Connell kissed it, then spent a few moments in quiet prayer. At the end of the prayer service, the Bishop once again stood before the reliquary, placed his Pectoral Cross on the top of the encasement and prayed before it.
Hosting the relics held particular significance for Msgr. Sam A. Sirianni, Co-Cathedral rector, because of his longstanding devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes.
Having visited the French pilgrimage site three times, with a fourth visit planned, he described it as one of his favorite places. “It was the place where the sick and infirm are given pride of place,” he said. “They are front and center, and everything is directed towards them.”
“To have Lourdes in my own parish was wonderful,” he added.
He also reflected on St. Bernadette’s humble beginnings and the challenges she faced growing up in poverty. “She was the weakest of the poor children, and yet she became the strength of faith and love and hope,” he said.
Msgr. Sirianni explained that venerating relics is a longstanding Catholic tradition that recalls “the saints who totally gave themselves to the Lord.”
He hoped the visit would provide reassurance to those seeking peace, healing or spiritual renewal. “Whether we experience a peace or an actual healing, that’s in God’s hands.”
Barbara Cirillo, a Co-Cathedral parishioner with a devotion to the Blessed Mother, said she was overwhelmed while venerating the relics.
Cirillo also shared what she finds most inspiring about St. Bernadette’s life: “I think the way she carried out what the Blessed Mother asked her to do, and she still is.”
Although Cirillo has never visited Lourdes, she said she hopes to make the pilgrimage someday. She also appreciated seeing so many people come together to venerate the relics.
“I just think that something like this brings everybody together,” she said.
Fellow parishioner Lisa Mays has a family connection to St. Bernadette. Her daughter chose Bernadette as her Confirmation saint, and her parents were married in St. Bernadette Parish, Oakland.
“You just feel that presence, that peace, that history,” Mays said, reflecting on her experience.
Ana Acatitla Cosme, a parishioner of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Lakewood, described the visit as an answered prayer. After attending a Marian retreat several months earlier, she had hoped to venerate St. Bernadette’s relics but was unsure how she would travel to see them.
Learning that they would be visiting the Co-Cathedral was a blessing. God “just answered one of my prayers by having the relics come so close,” she said.
Cosme said receiving holy water from Lourdes made the experience even more significant, giving her a sense of visiting the French pilgrimage site without traveling there.
Mario Rojas, a parishioner of Mother of Mercy Parish, Asbury Park, learned about the visit while attending a meeting at the Co-Cathedral earlier that day. He said he was “praying that some type of miracle would come out of this, that would change the church in this area.”
Reaching the faithful
Matthew and Jerrielyn Newton of California are responsible for transporting the relics during the nationwide pilgrimage. Matthew works for Clover Group, a U.K.-based logistics company with a U.S. branch that partnered with the Lourdes sanctuary to coordinate the tour.
Matthew first became involved in 2022 after learning about a job that would take him across the country. When he discovered the position involved transporting St. Bernadette’s relics, he felt drawn to the experience.
“It just kind of felt like a calling,” he said, explaining how the opportunity connected with his Catholic upbringing.
He asked whether Jerrielyn, then his fiancée, could accompany him. The couple completed the 2022 pilgrimage together and returned for the current tour as husband and wife.
Through their travels, they each developed a personal devotion to St. Bernadette, coming to appreciate her life and the significance she holds for the faithful.
“It’s just been an honor and truly a blessing to be able to bring that to people,” Matthew said.
Traveling with the relics has also allowed Jerrielyn to bring her family’s prayer intentions to St. Bernadette. She has particularly valued the opportunity to visit Catholic communities across the country and see how each expresses its faith and devotion to St. Bernadette.
“I think it’s amazing to see different churches in different places, big or small, whether it’s a cathedral or basilica, or even just the smallest parishes,” she said. “It’s nice to feel the community.”
Both said they hope visitors would find comfort and healing through the experience, just as their own faith has grown through their travels.
A visit with lasting significance
Chris and Betsy McLaughlin, members of the Order of Malta and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, assisted with the visit. Betsy explained that knights and dames from both orders served as an honor guard and helped with the veneration of the relics.
Chris described the experience as “very tactile,” referring to the holy water from Lourdes, stones, statue and relic, which gave visitors a physical connection to Lourdes.
Msgr. Sirianni said the visit was ultimately a reminder of God’s love, a message he hoped would remain with the faithful long after the relics departed. “Hopefully, people will know that through Mary, the Son of God loves us and holds us deeply,” he said