Huntington — Hundreds of visitors flocked to Immaculate Conception Seminary here Nov. 12 and 13 to view a relic of Mary Magdalene, a saint who “walked with Jesus.” A major piece of the tibia (a leg bone) from remains believed to come from the saint dubbed the “apostle to the apostles” was made available for veneration for the first time in the U.S.
Following mid-day Mass in the seminary chapel, Kevin Thompson, a third-year seminarian here, called the event “stunning.”

“The saints are always available in prayer, but it is something special to have her here with us this way,” he said. “This is part of the body of someone who walked with Jesus.”

The relic, enclosed in a glass case, stood in the center of the chapel throughout the day. At times there were long lines of people waiting to approach the reliquary. Some bowed in prayer or reverently ran their hands along the glass. Others held an item such as rosary beads or a piece of jewelry against the glass. Many kissed their fingers and touched them gently to the glass, others kissed the glass directly. Volunteers from several Knights of Columbus councils served as an honor guard and also as ushers, wiping clean the glass after each visitor.

The remains of St. Mary Magdalene have been preserved in the Diocese of Frejus-Toulon, France since the second century. A letter of authentication from Bishop Dominique Rey of Frejus-Toulon states that the relics were hidden in the year 710 to keep them safe from invaders and their whereabouts were unknown for five centuries. They were rediscovered in 1279 and have been venerated without interruption since. The relics have been entrusted to the care of the Dominican Friars of the Toulouse Province.

The relic was originally scheduled to be on view at the seminary Thursday only, but because of the positive response, additional viewing hours were added on Friday morning. The seminary staff estimates that 1,500 people came to see the relic.

“She was the first to see the Resurrection,” said Maureen Allen of St. Joseph’s, Kings Park. “Just the thought of her relic here at the seminary is very exciting. When I heard, I had to come.”

During the day, three sessions of catechesis were offered. Msgr. Richard Henning, professor of Sacred Scripture at the seminary, spoke on St. Mary Magdalene in the New Testament. (See related article). Msgr. Charles Fink, the seminary’s director of spiritual formation, spoke about veneration of relics in the Catholic tradition. (See story below.)Dominican Father Romaric Morin, one of several priests who accompanied the relic to the United States, spoke about the tradition of veneration of St. Mary Magdalene.

The relic arrived in the United States on October 21 to be venerated at sites in Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Washington D.C., in addition to New York. Father Romaric said the saint has been greeted with long lines of people wanting to venerate the relic and go to confession. “She is better than a rock star. She is 2,000 years old and people still want to take her picture,” he joked.

The relic is set to return to France on Nov. 30. When he heard of the relic coming to the area, Msgr. Peter Vaccari, the seminary’s rector, contacted the trip’s organizers at the Georgia-based John Paul II Training Center for New Evangelization and arranged to be included on the schedule. Ed Clancy, a member of the Emmanuel Community which is affiliated with the John Paul II Training Center, said that bringing the relic to the U. S. is a way to evangelize.

“Mary Magdalene inspires us to be more bold, to go when we are afraid,” Clancy said.

After venerating the relic, Moira Geronimos of St. Joseph, Kings Park, said, “I pray to have the faith and heart she had.”

“I admire Mary Magdalene,” said Bridget Groeger of Northport. “She is a wonderful woman, who released her troubles to Jesus.”

Mary O’Donnell added that venerating the relic was a “wonderful experience.” She came with her friend Nora Lynch, who noted that the saint has been “so misunderstood,” even misidentified as a prostitute.

“This is an opportunity to learn the true nature of Mary Magdalene,” said O’Donnell.

Jean and Michael Szumega from St. Hedwig’s in Floral Park had visited the relic in Brooklyn the day before coming to the seminary. “We don’t have the money to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or Europe, so we are grateful” that the relic has been brought here, said Jean Szumega. “It is awesome, a once in a lifetime experience.”

Among the visitors to the seminary were 41 students from Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale. “It is really cool,” said junior Laura Montemarano. “I never imagined I would see something so important to our faith.”

“I have heard all these amazing stories about Mary Magdalene. It is interesting to be face to face with something that was part of her,” added sophomore Joseph Finneran.