Seton Hall to Welcome Relics of St. Bernadette for Healing Mass

Seton Hall University will welcome the relics of St. Bernadette Soubirous to the South Orange campus October 4–6, offering the University community a special opportunity for prayer, veneration and reflection on the Catholic tradition of healing associated with Our Lady of Lourdes.

As part of the visit, Campus Ministry will celebrate a special Healing Mass in honor of St. Bernadette on Monday, October 5, in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, at 5 p.m. All seeking healing in mind, heart and spirit are invited to attend. During the Mass, those who wish may receive a blessing with holy water from Lourdes.

St. Bernadette became known throughout the Catholic world in 1858, just two years after Seton Hall’s founding, when she reported a series of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France, at age 14. During one of the apparitions, Mary identified herself by saying, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” A spring at the grotto in Lourdes subsequently became associated with the apparitions, and generations of pilgrims have traveled there seeking healing, comfort and spiritual renewal.

For the Reverend Nicholas Sertich ’15, S.T.L., director of Campus Ministry, Bernadette’s youth and circumstances offer a particularly meaningful message for Seton Hall students.

“The story of St. Bernadette reminds us that God often works miracles in the people and places we would least expect, and especially in the lives of young people,” Sertich said. “Bernadette was no scholar; she had no money, no prestige, no career. What she did have, though, was a trusting heart and a childlike faith.”

He added that Bernadette’s example challenges conventional ideas about achievement and worth.

“For that, she’s a reminder to our students that God doesn’t care if we are ‘successful’ by the world’s standards,” Sertich noted, adding, “He cares that we live with true trust and true faith.”

St. Bernadette and the apparitions at Lourdes also connect to Seton Hall’s Catholic identity. Both the University’s Chapel of the Immaculate Conception and Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology carry the title Mary used to describe herself at Lourdes.

“So, while Mother Seton is our namesake and north star, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is our special patroness who keeps prayerful watch over the community each day,” Sertich said.

Since the late 19th century, Lourdes has become one of the world’s most prominent Catholic pilgrimage destinations, particularly for those seeking physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing. The Healing Mass at Seton Hall will provide members of the University community an opportunity to participate in that tradition without leaving campus.

“We know that there are many in our community who face serious challenges and anxieties and a major aspect of our Catholic faith is trusting in the healing love of God’s grace,” Sertich said. “What better way to celebrate the legacy of St. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes than by offering a prayer and a special blessing with Lourdes Water to our community members in need?”

The relics will also be available for public veneration in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception from 4–11 p.m. Sunday, October 4; 7:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday, October 5; and 7:30–11 a.m. Tuesday, October 6.

The veneration of relics is a centuries-old Catholic tradition rooted in the belief that Christians remain united in the Body of Christ with those who have gone before them in faith. Catholics look to the saints both as models for Christian life and as members of the communion of saints who continue to pray for the faithful.

“The opportunity to venerate a saint’s relics is the chance to draw close to someone who is a member of our Christian family,” stated Sertich. “With St. Bernadette’s relics visiting us at Seton Hall, our community members are able to draw close to someone who spent a lifetime drawing close to Christ and now experiences eternal life with Him.”

For Seton Hall, the visit offers an opportunity to encounter a centuries-old expression of Catholic faith while reflecting on its meaning for contemporary life and the University’s mission.

“Much like our own Mother Seton, St. Bernadette shows us that life is best spent in love of God and love of our neighbors,” Sertich said.

Categories: Faith and Service