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The document that accompanies
a relic is often times referred to as the authentics. On the document
there is a variety of useful and necessary information. On the top of the
document is the name of the ecclesiastic who has authenticated the relic
as genuine, this could be the Postulator General of the religious order
whose logo appears or, the Vicar General.
Next is the body of copy that is usually written in Latin; I'll translate it into English.
"To all and any who will
read this document. We, the Pro-Postulator in the Cause of (Beatification
and) Canonization of _____________________ guarantee and testify that from
the authentic Relics, which are preserved, we have extracted a particle
from ___________ of the same ________________ and have placed it in a
______ _________ case covered by crystal, bound by red coloured thread and
sealed with the seal of our office."
Rome ( Date ) Signature [Seal]
This document is a public acclamation
as to the authenticity of the relic itself, of which a high
ranking ecclesiastic has signed his name. Typed or hand written into the
blank areas are the name and the abbreviation of the cause of their
sainthood and the individuals station in religious life, as well as any
distinction of honour that the Church might have placed on them
posthumously. There is also a description of the relic itself, (described
below) and a description of the locket or reliquary that it is placed in.
On the bottom of the authentic
is the date of issuance, the seal of the office, registrar number and the
signature of the authenticator.
Underneath the back cover of
the relic locket there is a seal of red wax. The relic itself is held in
place in the locket by threads that cross over it. The threads are fed
through the walls of the locket on opposing sides and it is sealed shut
with a wax seal bearing the insignia of issuing religious authority and
their orders initials. This seal and it's locking procedure, (threads and
seal) should never under any circumstances be broken. It protects the
integrity and validity of the authentication. Even if the papers are lost
and the seal is intact it is difficult but not impossible to have new
papers generated in Rome.
In the process of trying to
identify the specific relic you have accompanied by the document you will
find that the explanation will be in Latin. I have compiled a glossary to
provide you with the definitions of the most commonly used words:
arca mortuaria - mortuary box, container
arca sepulerali- coffin
breviario - breviary
coronse spinse D.N.J.C. - crown of thorns of Our
Lord Jesus Christ
[cravio] corporis - body
de velo - from the veil
domini nostri jesu christi, D.N.J.C. - Our Lord
Jesus Christ
domo - house
ex bireto - from the biretta
ex capillus - from the hair
ex carne - from the flesh
ex cineribus - from the ashes
ex indumento - from the clothing
ex ligneo pulvere, mixto pulveri corporis, quem
residuum continebat prima capsa funeralis - from the remains of the wood,
mixed with the dust of the body, the residue of which was contained in the
first box, [or sarcophagus]
ex ossibus - from the bones
ex praecordis - from the stomach or intestines
ex praesepis - birthplace of D.N.J.C.
ex pelle - from the skin
ex pluviali - cope [ cloak wore for Benediction ]
ex sportula - from the little basket
ex stipite affixionis - probably means "from
the whipping post"
ex strato - from the covering [ blanket ]
ex tela serica quae tetigit cor - from the silk
cloth which touched the heart
ex tunica - from the tunic
Now let's move forward to the initials that follow the name to which the
relic belongs:
AP. - Apostle
C. - Confessor
D. - Doctor of the Church
E. - Bishop
EV. - Evangelist
F. - Founder of Order
Lev. - Deacon
M. - Martyr
Poen. - Penitent
PP. - Pope
Reg. - King or Queen
V. - Virgin
Vid. - Widow
The next important step is to clarify the
classification of the relic itself. There are three classes of relics; 1st
class, 2nd class, and 3rd class.
[ 1st class ] The bodies of saintly persons or
any of their integrant parts, such as limbs, ashes and bones.
[ 2nd class ] Objects that have come in physical
contact with living Saints and are thereby sanctified ( for instance, the
instruments wherewith a martyr has been tortured, the chains by which he
was bound, the clothes he wore, objects he used).
[ 3rd class ] Bits of cloth touched to an actual 1st or 2nd class relic.
 Click
here to buy Wax Seals
Catechism of the Catholic Church : Revised in Accordance With the Official Latin Text Promulgated by Pope John Paul II
Oxford Latin Dictionary
by P. Glare
Cassell's Latin Dictionary: Latin-English, English-Latin
by Donald Penistan Simpson
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Authentics in Religious Documents