By Katie Vasquez
Deep inside O’Malley Library at Manhattan University in the Bronx sits a treasure trove of sacred objects.
“I would say close to about 600 different relics of a variety of saints,” said Amy Surak, director of archives and special collections.
Surak said the university started collecting the relics as communities and retreat centers shuttered.
“What do you do with them once an institution closes?” Surak said. “We want to safe house these.”
It created a secret prayer spot within the library for people who discovered the relics and wished to be among the saints.
But now, Surak said that’s all going to change, as they prepare to display the relics in a reliquary at the school’s chapel.
“We want to keep them, and we also want to make them available so that people can learn about the history of the Church, the history of saints, and the history of relics,” Surak said.
The collection includes hundreds of physical remains or personal effects of these holy people, like a piece of bone from Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.
“She was also known as the ‘Little Flower,'” Surak said. “She was basically otherwise known as a household saint. She lived a very pious life, where small things she did had a profound effect on her spirituality and piety.”
It’s an experience those at this Lasallian university say you have to see to believe.
“The fact that they have these and we have access to them,” Surak said. “You know, no one would think that we have relics of the apostles in the Bronx.”
If you would like to visit the relics, you can make an appointment by emailing archives@manhattan.edu.