Why do Roman Catholic churches have body parts of the saint they are named after?

A strange and ancient practice of several Catholic Churches - not just the Roman Catholic Church.

Parts Of A Catholic Church

That's a hard question to answer. Catholicism is more than just a religion to its followers. It's not just something we do on Sundays. It's part of our culture. It's our way of life. It's very much WHO we are. This answer will probably not satisfy you because you're an outsider looking in a window. You can see what's going on but you can't really understand the meaning of it all.

Relics have been a part of humanity forever but became extremely popular in the middle ages. Life was rough with the plagues and other hardships of daily life. Out of the hardship we see the grand Cathedrals being built. It was their piece of heaven on Earth. When someone would die who was considered to be a holy person, their bodies, their possessions, their clothing -- everything was essentially up for grabs so to speak. It was their way of feeling a little closer to holiness, to God essentially, amid all of their struggles. They saw the deceased as a role model, someone who overcame the hardships and was able to find God in the midst of it all. The body parts/clothing of these holy people was a sign of hope for them. It became tradition that a piece of a saint would be entombed in the high alter (or just alter now) of the Churches as a way of reminding ourselves that even though we face hardships, we can still find hope in the lives of others and a closeness to God in our struggles.

WHAT??? I'm a Roman Catholic, and I have no idea what you are talking about. I've heard many crazy myths about my faith, but that is a first.

My parish is called All Saints. So, according to your question, there are body parts from EVERY SAINT that has ever lived tucked away somewhere in the church. Now, c'mon, doesn't that seem just a bit ridiculous?

There are many excellent websites that teach and illuminate about the faith founded by Christ himself. Below are two great websites to start with.

Good luck and God Bless

What you are asking about are called "Relics".

Here is an example of the use of relics straight from the Bible:

The use of the bones of Elisha brought a dead man to life: "So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood on his feet" (2 Kgs. 13:20-21).

This is an unequivocal biblical example of a miracle being performed by God through contact with the relics of a saint!

Here are examples form the New Testament:

Similar are the cases of the woman cured of a hemorrhage by touching the hem of Christ’s cloak (Matt. 9:20-22)

and the sick who were healed when Peter’s shadow passed over them (Acts 5:14-16).

"And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them" (Acts 19:11-12).

In the fourth century the great biblical scholar, Jerome, declared, "We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore him whose martyrs they are" (Ad Riparium, i, P.L., XXII, 907). `

The Saints are members of Christ, they are children and friends of God, and they are our intercessors, therefore we want to draw close to them through relics.

They are called "relics" and they are "believed" to be holy. Basically, they are discouraged, as they are considered "idols."

I believe they are B.S. and almost 99% of the time they ARE NOT what they say they are. Can you say, "SCAM?" During the Middle Ages these were of great importance, giving rise to church attendance and legends of great healing.

However, with the "modern and skeptical age," most except those like the "Shroud of Turin" whose access is kept carefully kept out of reach, they have for the most part fallen out of practice. However, a great number still remain.

Given the quality of products and the misuse of public systems in the "old days" it would be remarkable indeed if most if any of these items were actually real.

Take for example "Slivers of the True Cross." At that time, only like 4-5 Christians were present at Christs crucifixion. Not that they didn't love him, but because Rome most likely would have considered it a sign of madness or revolt and simply killed them. However, a few family members, sad with the death of a loved one; they could understand.

People snuck back and bargained with "greedy" guards for the body of Christ. They received the body for burial, but nothing was ever said of the cross. Nor is this a surprise. Who would even think to save the thing your greatest HERO was killed on? How deafeningly thoughtless would that be? If your infant son died from a bottle of Tainted Formula, would you have the Bottle Silvered and wear it around your neck? Neither would I. And neither did they, 2,000 years ago, they just wanted to lay their Lord and Savior out in respect and decency.

So, no thought was given to the shroud he was in, the cross he was on or the nails in his hands and feet, nor should their have been, they were besides themselves in grief.

It was only a 400 years later when the Emperor Constantines mother was made a Christian that she started "collecting" relics that this "practice of relics" started.

In order to become a saint there must be documented proof of miracles that occur in the saint's name(usually at their gravesite) therefore, when a church adopts a saint as their patron, having part of them there may help more miracles to happen.

They're called 'relics', and each church is required to have one as a tangible reminder and inspiration to the parishioners that it is indeed possible to please God. We are not alone, and the saints are there to help us on our journey. It's usually embedded in the altar.

I think that's right...

Are you talking about Relics?

Otherwise you don't make sense. The catholic church has a lot of different things from people who God performed miracles for/thru their intercession/prayer. Should we throw them away?

I was raised catholic and never seen a 1,825 year old body part