Santiago de Compostela Church in Lake Forest will host a visit of Saint John Paul II First Class Blood Relic from the evening of Nov. 16 to 20, 2018. Catholics all over Orange County are welcome to come, pray and venerate in front of the saint’s relic between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Parish Center from Nov. 17-20.
There will be a Welcome Mass in Spanish at 6:30 p.m. when the relic arrives on Friday and another Mass in English at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. Each day of the relic’s visit there will be exposition, prayerful music, and silence.
The Hour of Christ’s Passion – when Jesus died for the salvation of all - is also remembered daily at 3:00 p.m. with special reflections and prayer to the Divine Mercy. Saint John Paul II was instrumental in bringing to the world the Divine Mercy message that was entrusted to St. Faustina. Please check Santiago de Compostela’s website for an updated schedule.
The relic, Saint John Paul II’s blood on a piece of cloth, was given to Joseph and Corinne MacDonald by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the archbishop emeritus of Kraków and close adviser and friend of Saint John Paul II. The MacDonald’s are the founders of John Paul II Project. As an apostolate, they will carry out the saint’s legacy by traveling with the relic to America, ‘bringing John Paul II to the people so the people can come to John Paul II.’
The relic is venerated by touching the reliquary in which the blood relic of Saint John Paul II is kept. By venerating, Catholics seek the saint’s intercession, receive spiritual graces for their families and loved ones, and obtain the courage and spiritual strength to imitate his saintly life and persevere in their Christian witness to the Gospel. From the graces received in praying before the relic of Saint John Paul II, the faithful and their families are renewed in their daily striving for holiness of life and in faith, hope, and charity.