On Nov. 1, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School students got a special treat for All Saints’ Day.

Sister Emma Rueda, S.C.T.J.M., arranged for a variety of first- and second-class relics to be displayed in the school’s library. The relics came from saints ranging from St. John Paul II to Mother Theresa to the Apostles. 

The arrangement even included a first-class relic from St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, with a certificate of authenticity from the Vatican.

First-class relics are physical parts of the body of a saint, such as a piece of bone or flesh or a drop of blood. Personal belongings of saints - like pieces of their clothes, rosaries, or books - are classified as second-class relics. A third-class relic is anything that comes in contact with a first- or second-class relic.

Sister Emma gave each student a slip of paper to touch to a relic of his or her choosing, thereby becoming a third-class relic. The students wrote their saint’s name on their piece of paper or took it home with them to keep.

Meanwhile, several St. Francis Xavier students dressed as their favorite saints for All Saints Day. Students wore costumes over their Mass attire and attended Mass in honor of the solemnity.

“It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience being that close to the saints,” said St. Francis Xavier 8th grader David Palacios-Ramirez. “I especially liked the St. Joseph relic because I admire him and how he is the foster father of Jesus.”