Saint Raphael’s Relics Enshrined at Antiochian Village

New reliquary of St. Raphael of Brooklyn at the Antiochian Village. Photo credit: antiochian.org

BOLIVAR, PA — Orthodox clergy and faithful from around the world now have the opportunity to venerate the full-body relics of St. Raphael of Brooklyn, newly enshrined at Ss. Peter and Paul Chapel at the Antiochian Village Conference and Retreat Center.

Last month, a hand-carved, glass-topped wooden reliquary — crafted in Lebanon — arrived at the Village, along with a matching wooden frame that now houses the saint’s icon above the relics. His Eminence Metropolitan Saba placed the relics inside the reliquary, covering them with new bishop’s vestments and offering prayers of veneration.

The enshrinement follows the July 2024 translation of St. Raphael’s relics from the Village cemetery. The historic event was presided over by Metropolitan Saba and Archdiocesan bishops, and witnessed by hundreds of Antiochian Village Camp participants. The relics, which include St. Raphael’s vestments, crown, and a gold cross, were temporarily housed at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church before their final placement.

St. Raphael is commemorated three times each year: on the first Saturday in November (near his birth date, Nov. 8, 1860), on Feb. 27 (the date of his repose in 1915), and on July 18 (marking the 2024 translation of his relics).

Previously, UOJ reported on a meeting that was held at the Antiochian Patriarchate with the participation of regional Christian leaders to discuss Syria’s future.

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