Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-19

strongly the presumption Of validity.
Thus. in modern times, the local bishop
would place the seal on relics OF saint
who died In the area under his jurtS-
diction-or he might replace q broken
seal on a relic sealed at Rome. The
great majority Of relics are sealed at
the Vatican, and usually are accom-
panied by documents further attest
ing their authenticity.
Relics of the true cross bearing the
episcopal seal are rather rare and, since
there are long breaks In the history Of
the cross, the seal indicates that the
weight Of tradition supports the claims
for the article.
Finding Of Crucihxes.
The tradition, as recounted by the
Catholic Encyclopedia, Is that in 326
AID. Helena, the mother Of the Emperor
Constantine, went to Jerusalem and,
with the aid Of Jewish citizen, Judas,
who was somewhat Of a local antiquary
and familiar with ,the popular tradition
as to the disposition OF the cross, found
three crucifiXes buried in a ditch and
covered with stones at the foot OF CAL
vary. Judas afterward became a Chris
tan and Is honored by the church as
st. Cyriacus.
Then, continues the tradition, Helena
had the three crosses carried to the bed
side Of q dying man. He touched two
of them with no results. When he
touched the third he seemed greatly i'm
proved and soon recovered. The En-
peror'S mother erected a great church
on the spot and placed part OF the cross
inside it.
Throughout the Middle Ages supposed
fragments OF the cross were widely
scattered throughout the Christian
world, . great many portions being kept
in the Church Of Santa Croce In Geru"
Salemme in Rome and Notre Dame In
paris. It is from these that most of the
fragments now found have been taken.
Actually, it was explained at Cath
Ollie University, there are not so many
such fragments as Is generally belieSed.
All are very small, and all the attested
specimens would make only . small part
Of the cross itself.
Much more subject to tradition are
the supposed relics Of st. Anne, the
mother OF Mary, whose very name even
is recorded only in Apocryphal gospels
One tradition has 1t that the supposed
remains were brought to Constantinople
from the Holy Land in ITO AID, while
another maintains that they were
brought very early TO Apt, In Southern
France, by st. Lazarus.
From that time on they had q check
cred fate. RediScovercd during the
reign Of Charlemagne, according to the
tradition. the head was carried to
Mainz, where 1t remained In the cathe-
dral until 1t was stolen In 1910 and car
rie6 TO Brittany.
Regardless Of the purely traditional
nature Of the evidence, the st. Anne
relics are held in high esteem by mil
lions Of people.
The church, 1t is explained at Catho-
lie University, demands Authorization
OF relics OF individuals who have lived
walton Of such evidence has been pos
sible. But for the earlier saints the
rule Is not so rigid and where a relic
has been venerated for a long time by
great numbers Of persons who have
firmly believed in its authenticity the
church would not prohibit the conttnu-
ance Of this Veneration, but would
merely attest to the actual facts. -.
For the most. part, relics are very
small fragments AtteSted relics are
inclosed In every Catholic altar before
1t is consecrate6. An attested relic
cannot be sold, although this may have
taken place in the past AT present
the sale Of g. relic would call for ex-
communication. Many spurious relics
with no claim to authenticity have
been sold, ano this may have been the
case with those in the National Mu-
scum collection, which do not bear the
episcopal seal.
Most of them, according tn the aces
sions records, were acquired for the
museum by @. Brown Goode, former
assistant secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution.