Blood relic of JPII at the altar of the Luminous Mysteries Chapel

Relics of St. John Paul II

From the earliest times, Christians have honored the relics – the physical remains and personal effects – of early Christians who were martyred or lived especially holy lives. In many places their graves became sites of pilgrimage where the faithful journeyed to be inspired by their example and to ask for their help in the struggles of life and in leading holy lives themselves. Over time, shrines dedicated to these holy people were built to create a proper place for pilgrims to honor or venerate these saints, to attend Mass, and to receive the sacraments.

Traditionally, pilgrims venerate relics by touching or kissing the reliquary in which the fragment of the holy person’s physical remains or personal item is kept. Veneration is an expression of reverence for the holiness of the saint, and pilgrims often ask for the saint to intercede on their behalf before God for spiritual assistance, physical healing, or other particular graces.

“The religious sense of the Christian people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding the Church's sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics…” (Universal Catechism, 1674)

FIRST-CLASS BLOOD RELIC

At the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, pilgrims may venerate a first-class relic of St. John Paul II’s blood that is contained in a glass ampoule at the center of an ornate reliquary. This relic was a gift to Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson by His Eminence Stanisław Cardinal Dziwisz, then-Archbishop of Kraków and long-time personal secretary to Pope John Paul II.

By venerating the relics of St. John Paul II, pilgrims seek his 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 prayer before the relics of St. John Paul II, pilgrims and their families are renewed in their daily striving for holiness of life and in faith, hope, and charity.

ALTAR RELICS

The relics in the Redemptor Hominis Church reflect the North American heritage of the Knights of Columbus and its over 100-year history in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, while the relics in the Luminous Mysteries Chapel harken to the Polish heritage of St. John Paul II.

REDEMPTOR HOMINIS CHURCH

St. François de Laval
St. Jóse María Robles Hurtado
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
St. John Neumann
St. Junípero Serra

LUMINOUS MYSTERIES CHAPEL

Saint Maximilian Kolbe
Saint Albert Chmielowski
Saint Faustina Kowalska
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

Picture of Pope John Paul II holding on to his staff with crucifix mounted on top.