On June 28, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Cleveland, GA, unveiled a rare and remarkable collection of first-class relics in a newly dedicated reliquarium. These sacred items, some with historical connections to Pope Innocent X, now reside in the parish’s newly designed space.
The donor and docent of the display, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared the story behind the collection: “It’s not about me, it’s about the saints.” The docent explained that the display represents a six‑year collaboration involving the Archdiocese, planners, and architects.
Among the treasures is a missal stand, chalice, and wooden headboard once belonging to Pope Innocent X. The docent noted, “The donor’s family had ties to Pope Innocent X. Because he didn’t die in the Vatican, there were things that could be handed down in the family.”
According to the docent, Pope Innocent X had a brother called Camillo Panfili, and Camillo was married to Olimpia Maidalchini, from who this family descends.
Perhaps most awe-inspiring is a 2nd‑century altar stone, which the docent revealed had been preserved “in the family for generations.”
Each item is a first‑class relic, meaning it contains a physical part of a saint, such as bone or hair. The only second-class relic in the collection is the cincture of St. Francis of Assisi.
“A nun can take a teeny‑tiny bit of bone and make a hundred relics out of it,” the docent said. “The relic is in the theca, which is the round container in these reliquaries.”
The docent described the meticulous process: “The nuns adhere the bone fragments, along with other embellishments, onto a piece of cardboard using beeswax. The board is then adhered into the theca with four threads. Finally, the theca is sealed with the stamp of the postulator general of the area where the nuns lived.”
In total, the reliquarium features 33 authenticated first‑class relics—including two fragments from the True Cross—representing a rich tapestry of saints and history. The collection includes relics of:
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St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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St. Andrew the Apostle
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St. Anthony of Padua (Doctor of the Church)
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St. Albert the Great (Doctor of the Church)
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St. Alphonsus Liguori (Doctor of the Church)
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St. Apollonia (Virgin and Martyr)
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St. Aloysius Gonzaga
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St. Bernadette of Lourdes
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St. Catherine of Alexandria (Virgin and Martyr)
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St. Charles Borromeo
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St. Edward the Confessor
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St. Faustina Kowalska of The Divine Mercy
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St. Francis de Sales (Doctor of the Church)
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St. Frances of Rome (Virgin and Martyr)
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St. Francis Xavier Seelos
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St. Francis of Assisi (with cincture in pectoral cross containing micromosaics)
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St. Gertrude (Benedictine Abbess and Doctor of the Church)
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St. Maria Goretti (Virgin and Martyr)
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St. Ignatius of Loyola
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St. John Berchmans
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St. Kateri Tekakwitha
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St. Lucy of Syracuse (Virgin and Martyr)
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St. Paschal Baylon
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St. Peregrine
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St. Saturnin of Toulouse
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St. Stanislaus Kostka
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St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Doctor of the Church)
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St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
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St. Jane Frances de Chantal
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St. John Neumann
St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Andrew the Apostle
St. Anthony of Padua (Doctor of the Church)
St. Albert the Great (Doctor of the Church)
St. Alphonsus Liguori (Doctor of the Church)
St. Apollonia (Virgin and Martyr)
St. Aloysius Gonzaga
St. Bernadette of Lourdes
St. Catherine of Alexandria (Virgin and Martyr)
St. Charles Borromeo
St. Edward the Confessor
St. Faustina Kowalska of The Divine Mercy
St. Francis de Sales (Doctor of the Church)
St. Frances of Rome (Virgin and Martyr)
St. Francis Xavier Seelos
St. Francis of Assisi (with cincture in pectoral cross containing micromosaics)
St. Gertrude (Benedictine Abbess and Doctor of the Church)
St. Maria Goretti (Virgin and Martyr)
St. Ignatius of Loyola
St. John Berchmans
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
St. Lucy of Syracuse (Virgin and Martyr)
St. Paschal Baylon
St. Peregrine
St. Saturnin of Toulouse
St. Stanislaus Kostka
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Doctor of the Church)
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
St. Jane Frances de Chantal
St. John Neumann
Parish leadership emphasizes that the space is not a museum but a sacred place for prayer and devotion. “The idea we have with the chapel of Pope Innocent X is not to see the space of the relics as an exhibition site or museum… The ideal is that we enjoy the grace of God and His gifts,” wrote Father Fabio Alvarez Posada, the pastor of the Cleveland church.
The reliquarium is open during parish office hours from Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. and during Mass times. Security has been enhanced to protect the relics, including alarmed doors with automatic alerts to law enforcement if tampered with.
