Two weekends ago while visiting the hometown of my good friend Stephen (full story forthcoming) I had the fortune of making a stop at the Maria Stein Center in Western Ohio, home to the second largest collection of relics in the United States. Comprised of the Romanesque style church of St. John the Baptist, the original motherhouse of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, and a retreat house, the Center is set on a beautiful property surrounded by gardens and cornfields (what in Ohio isn’t?). The relic chapel houses 855 reliquaries and 1075 relics, 95 percent of which are first-class relics.
To say the least, it was humbling to be in the presence of the great saints of our church. To pray the Litany of the Saints is one thing, but to do it in the presence of a huge collection of saints’ relics is a great grace and a remarkable moment which I will always cherish. I was especially in awe of seeing a relic of the great St. Augustine, to whom I have a special devotion.
You men and women of God, you citizens of heaven, pray for us.
The exterior of the church. Attached to the main church is the relic chapel (right).
The relic chapel altars.
A closer look at the main altar. In the leftmost case in the second row is a relic of the great St. Augustine, my patron.
At the center of the altar is a relic of the True Cross.
Reliquaries at the side of the altar.
The Church of St. John the Baptist. The entrance to the relic chapel is to the right.
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
St. Thomas Aquinas.
The statuary garden.
The courtyard of the convent.
The Via Crucis lines the interior of the courtyard.
