ENS. JACK ERNIE...

[Truckman]

Just another true story of the Pacific War...

Without full power of his engine available, Jack was at too great a disadvantage. He fought valiantly, splashing one Zero before being overcome by the second. As his Corsair plummeted earthward, he made two transmissions; "Skipper, I can't get out!" followed by a short pause and then, "Remember me with the Jolly Rogers!"

...Ben

[Dave Grubb]

Gee Wizz---old Ernie looks just like himself

I don't get it---I thought the Catholic Church was the only ones that did such things

I'm not sure what they call old Ern but in the Catholic Church those would be "first class relics". If you do good in life---really good---not just kinda of good---they make you a Saint and then they chop your ass up and put little pieces in fancy boxes called a reliquary and ship your ass all over the world. If you have a church named for you then they send a piece of your dead ass which will be enshrined in the alter.

In Cologne Germany there is, by far, the biggest reliquary a friend of mine has ever seen---made of gold



It is said to hold the remains of the three wise men.

My friend has told me about a few others that he found notable ---and not in a good way. In Montreal, at Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, founded by Saint Brother André, is a Catholic shrine dedicated to Saint Joseph. There is also a museum of Brother Andre----including the no longer beating heart of the good Brother. It is housed in a most fancy "jar" to allow one and all to gaze on his preserved organ.

The heart was stolen in March 1973. The theft appeared professional. To get at the heart, the thieves picked three locks to open a steel door and an iron grille, then chiseled the urn off its marble pedestal—all without attracting the security guards. A local newspaper received demands for $50,000 in ransom, but they apparently came from cranks. The heart was recovered in December 1974.

You can gaze upon the relic here.

Another, not far away, is Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré east of Quebec City. That is a shrine dedicated to Sainte Ann, the mother of Mary and grand mother of Jesus. I'm told the Shrine has in its possession three notable relics.

The FIRST RELIC (a portion of the bone of Saint Anne's finger) was obtained by the Carcassonne Chapter, and was brought to the Shrine on March 12, 1670 by Bishop François de Laval.

The first MAJOR RELIC arrived at the Shrine on July 26, 1892, as a gift from Pope Leo XIII. It is a 4-inch portion of the bone of Saint Anne's forearm. It was obtained from the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, in Rome, and was brought to Saint Anne de Beaupré by Bishop Joseph-Calixte Canac-Marquis (1821-1904).

Finally, on July 3, 1960, another MAJOR RELIC of Saint Anne (also from her forearm) was brought to the Shrine from The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, this time, as a gift from Blessed Pope John XXIII.

My friend has told me about others---but that should be enough!

Once a year we venerate the saints and part of the Mass includes veneration of a relic, you do that by kissing the relic which is inset in a large wooded cross (in our case). I'm always a little troubled by doing that---I'm not sure what part I'm kissing