Chicago churches offer veneration of St. Francis relics during Jubilee year
The special Jubilee marking 800 years since St. Francis’ death invites Catholics to encounter the Franciscan tradition through veneration of first-class relics, prayer, and pilgrimage.
Relics of St. Francis of Assisi and other Franciscan saints are available for public veneration across the Chicago area as Catholics commemorate the 800th anniversary since the saint’s death.
Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Jubilee of St. Francis in honor of the anniversary, a yearlong observance that runs through Jan. 10, 2027, according to the Chicago Catholic, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Relics of nearly a dozen Franciscan saints, including two first-class relics of St. Francis — part of his left humerus and a heel bone — are kept at the Shrine of All Saints in Morton Grove, Illinois.
According to the outlet, the collection also includes a vertebra of St. Clare of Assisi, a chalice used by St. Padre Pio, and hair from the beard of St. Maximilian Kolbe.
Relics of St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and St. Louis IX of France are also available for veneration at St. Ita Church in Chicago, according to the outlet.
Brother Joshua Smerker, a canon regular of St. John Cantius, said the relics inspire many to visit the Chicago church.
“The curiosity is coming out,” Brother Joshua told the outlet. “They are so eager, they are like kids. They want to know, ‘Who is this?’ This is our Catholic faith. They want to be close to that person.”
According to the outlet, Catholics can also obtain a plenary indulgence during the Jubilee of St. Francis at designated pilgrimage sites, including Mary, Mother of God Parish and the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe at Marytown in Libertyville.
Catholics around the world can also participate in the Jubilee by making pilgrimages to Franciscan churches or churches dedicated to St. Francis, according to the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary. A plenary indulgence is available under the usual conditions through Jan. 10, 2027.
