Sacra in the News
A large part of the Sacra apostolate is education related to the care and veneration of relics. We encourage you to contact our Director for interviews, articles, or questions through the page linked below.
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Adoremus Bulletin | Who’s in My Altar and Why Does It Matter?
How can we know what or who is in there?
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Visit the Saints in Rome With Us
A 12-Day Sacred Relics Pilgrimage to Rome & Orvieto | October 23 - November 3, 2025
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Real Presence Radio | Radio Interview
Relic expert Sean Pilcher speaks about working with relics.
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New Liturgical Movement | On Devotion to and Care of Relics, part III
This article is the second of a three-part series on the history and care of sacred relics, authored by Sean Pilcher, Director of Sacra: Relics of the Saints.
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New Liturgical Movement | On Devotion to and Care of Relics, part II
This article is the second of a three-part series on the history and care of sacred relics, authored by Sean Pilcher, Director of Sacra: Relics of the Saints.
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New Liturgical Movement | On Devotion to and Care of Relics, part I
This article is the first of a three-part series on the history and care of sacred relics, authored by Sean Pilcher, director of Sacra: Relics of the Saints (sacrarelics.org), an apostolate that promotes education about relics, and works to repair, research, and document relics for religious houses and dioceses. Earlier this year, we shared a Latin hymn in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe which he composed; we thank him for sharing his work with us once again.
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Practicing Catholic | Why relics matter
September 18, 2023
Practicing Catholic is a radio show collaboration between the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis and Relevant Radio 1330AM. www.practicingcatholicshow.com
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The Catholic Spirit | A Catholic relics sleuth in South Minneapolis
2023, written by Mark Johnson
“Recently, a visitor to a Wisconsin monastery entered a dimly lit chapel to pray. He noticed near the altar a mysterious, folded parchment in a brass reliquary with a faded wax seal. The monks seemed unsure of the reliquary’s contents or origin. The visitor’s curiosity was piqued, and the abbot gave him permission to temporarily remove and investigate the packet….”
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The Lamp Magazine | Fonts of Salvation
Issue 14, Christmas 2022 of The Lamp, written by Sean Pilcher
“The veneration of relics is a part of our human nature. It reaches to the deepest part of our longing for physical connection on this earth, even though we know the vale of tears is not our final home.
Grandmother’s pearls, Dad’s leather jacket—one can mention any number of treasured family heirlooms, and nearly everyone has some inclination to hold onto the belongings of a lost loved one or of a dear friend. To one unaware, these things are old, tired objects, but they take on a meaning and a history for those who know them. And the respect paid to the bodies and possessions of great men stretches back centuries. …”
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Uncommon Sense | episode # 49
2021, interviewed on the podcast from the GK Chesterton Society
You might know something about relics of the saints and other holy people, but would you be able to tell if a relic is real or fake? Sean Pilcher, a uniquely qualified expert, is one of the few individuals in this country that can verify relics. In this episode, Sean explains how he actually verifies a relic, why we venerate them, and at the end of the episode, we'll look at some relics of G.K. Chesterton, which are in Dale Ahlquist's possession.
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Central Catholic | Specialist researches, authenticates, restores relics for parishes, religious orders around world
Reposted by Central Catholic
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Archangel Radio 1410AM | Guest on the Turley Frequency
June 14, 2023
Interview begins at Minute 22
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OSV | Specialist researches, authenticates, restores relics
2023, written by OSV
MINNEAPOLIS (OSV News) — Recently, a visitor to a Wisconsin monastery entered a dimly lit chapel to pray. He noticed near the altar a mysterious, folded parchment in a brass reliquary with a faded wax seal.
The monks seemed unsure of the reliquary’s contents or origin. The visitor’s curiosity was piqued, and the abbot gave him permission to temporarily remove and investigate the packet.
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The Catholic Spirit | Relic veneration: more than ‘just show and tell’
September 14, 2023, written by Barb Umberger
“When Sean Pilcher was growing up, he recalled his parish had religious relics, but no one could answer his questions about ‘what is this and why do we care?’
That wondering started him on a path that led to his service today as director of Sacra: Relics of the Saints, an apostolate that promotes veneration of sacred relics. It works with ‘religious communities, dioceses and archives to identify, document, authenticate and repair relics.’” …
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Religion en Libertad | El «Indiana Jones» de las reliquias: ha verificado la Vera Cruz o a Santo Tomás antes de los 30 años
October 3, 2023, written by José María Carrera
“No hace falta dedicar mucho tiempo en Google o en Ebay para encontrar todo un mercado negro de reliquias cristianas en Internet. Algunas son vendidas por ingentes cantidades de dinero y son falsas en su mayoría. Sin embargo, su puesta en circulación es una práctica vigente que se suma a su adquisición por gurús esotéricos y sincretistas. Y mientras, continúan las apariciones de otras nuevas en yacimientos arqueológicos y parroqui”
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The Boston Pilot | Specialist researches, authenticates, restores relics for parishes, religious orders around world
Reposted from OSV and The Catholic Spirit
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Catholic Review | U.S. shrines boast massive numbers of saint relics
September 18, 2023 | Written by Jim Graves
“What is a saint’s relic? A relic can be one of three things: part of the body of a saint (a first-class relic); an item, such as a piece of clothing, used by a saint (a second-class relic); or an object touched to a first or second class relic (a third-class relic). …”
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Papal Artifacts | Fr Richard Kunst
2023, Papal Artifacts, written by Fr Richard Kunst
The Curator of renowned Papal Artifacts collection speaks about Sacra’s work of documenting and repairing relics.