So if the Church has Mary Magdalene's tibia why do they try so hard to hide the rest of the body?

March 6, 2011
Carrying the Bones of Mary Magdalene 

 

Life can be full of interesting and beautiful surprises. Some weeks ago, we learned – by coincidence – that the relic of St Baume, the tibia of Mary Magdalene, was going to tour Southern California, making its way down from San Francisco to San Diego. The relic is one of the most renowned relics of this saint, and key to her sojourn in Southern France. 

Each day, and sometimes twice a day, a church had opened its doors so that this precious relic could be put on display for veneration, normally accompanied by a celebration of mass. 

Both Kathleen and I had seen the relic in its native setting of St Baume – as recently as May 2010 – but the opportunity to see this relic while on tour in California was not going to be missed. A number of factors – and a very late and impromptu adjustment of our own plans – meant we saw the relic in Hollywood, at St Victor’s, on March 5. We were too late for mass, but were happy to see (as we entered) that the relic could be approached and even touched – in its display cabinet – by all those desiring to venerate it. In fact, you could venerate it more closely and more personally than in its French setting. 

Afterwards, we made our way to the little (mobile) information booth, where through a series of interesting coincidences, Kathleen was identified by Paula Lawlor, the organiser of the tour, and we all got to talk, me with Father Thomas, the Dominican priest of St Baume whom we had see celebrate mass in May in St Baume and who accompanied this relic throughout California. 

When the veneration was about to end, Father Thomas unexpectedly asked whether I could help him carry the relic to the car, so they could make their way to Montclair – the next step on the pilgrimage. And so I ended up carrying the bones of Mary Magdalene in what was a most surprising and unexpected and beautiful little procession. So I put Mary Magdalene in the back of a car… cool! 

http://www.philipcoppens.com/roadnews.html

http://www.philipcoppens.com/saintesmaries.html