St. Anthony's Shrine

 

To My Readers: This week, my guest poster Lee, tells about a magnificent shrine here in the United States! I thank him for giving me a chance to catch up on my work, while providing high quality material for this blog. Feel free to ask questions and make comments for Lee to answer. If you have a comment or question specifically for me, I will answer as always, but it will take me longer to do so this week.

God bless you all, my dear readers---Introibo

St. Anthony's Shrine

By Lee

Throughout history, relics have carefully been preserved to commemorate those who came before us. Relics, whether they be that of saints or instruments of Christ's passion are not just used as tokens of honor, but in many cases, objects that produce miraculous effects. In the Old Testament we read in 2 Kings 13:20-21 that when Elisha died and was buried that some people burying another dead man cast the body into the grave of Elisha for fear of being raided by the Moabites. As soon as the body touched the bones of Elisha, the dead man came back to life and rose to his feet. In the New Testament, we also read in the gospel of St. Matthew 9:20-22 where a woman had a hemorrhage problem, touched the hem of Christ's garment, and was healed and in Acts 19:11-12 how God worked extraordinary miracles through St. Paul by the use of his handkerchiefs or cloths which had touched his skin, which when applied to the sick cured them of their diseases and evil spirits departed from them.

In the Holy Mass when a priest completes the prayers at the foot of the altar, the first prayers that come out of his mouth as he ascends to the altar are: Aufer a nobis, quaesumus, Domine, iniquitates nostras ut ad Sancta sanctorum puris mereamur mentibus introire. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.Oramus te. Domine, per merita Sanctorum tuorum, quorum reliquiae hic sunt, et omnium Sanctorum: ut indulgere digneris omnia peccata mea. Translation: Take away from us our iniquities, O Lord, we beseech You, that we may enter with pure minds into the Holy of Holies. Through Christ our Lord. We beseech You, O Lord, by the merits of Your Saints whose relics lie here, and of all the Saints, deign in your mercy to pardon me all my sins.

The Man Who Made It Possible

Recognizing the historical and spiritual importance of relics, Fr. Suitbert Mollinger, a priest from the Civil War era, had a goal to start a shrine in the once industrious city of Pittsburgh PA, where he was stationed as a priest for three local churches.

Fr. Mollinger was the sixth of eight children born of Francois and Dorothea Mollinger in the Netherlands in 1828. The children were all raised Catholic because of their devout mother despite their father being Protestant. Having a vocation to the priesthood, Suitbert moved to the United States for his studies before being ordained in the 1850's.

Bishop Young of Erie PA incardinated him into his diocese on April 20th 1859 and assigned him to Brookville in Jefferson County as pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish. Because of extensive duties in the mission churches, Father was not in agreement with Bishop Young on some matters up for question and consequently made the decision to join the Diocese of Pittsburgh PA with granted permission.

He was made the first pastor of St. Alphonsus Church in Wexford, founded by the Redemptorists. The parish was composed of Irish and German farmers. Additionally, he also served a mission church a short distance away in Perrysville. Construction was begun on a church building there, and the cornerstone for the new St. Teresa’s was laid by Bishop Domenec. Father worked at St. Alphonsus and Perrysville for over two years before his assignment as pastor of Most Holy Name Parish on Troy Hill. During this time Most Holy Name of Jesus, as well as St. Joseph’s Church in Manchester, was a mission of St. Mary’s, the Benedictine Parish on the North Side. Here he continued his duties starting in 1868.

Father Mollinger's Relics and Chapel

When Father Mollinger arrived in 1868, he brought with him from his earlier years his own collection of relics. Later his collection grew due to the European politics of his time. Italy and Germany were fighting for unification. The Italian resurgence attempted to unify Italy when the Papal States were annexed. Under the anti-Catholic revolutionaries Giuseppi Mazzini, Count Cavour, and Giuseppi Garibaldi this was accomplished. Over a period of 10 years between 1860 and 1870, the pontifical soldiers were defeated and the Church lost the Papal States. Monasteries were destroyed and relics were lost, later appearing in pawn shops and other obscure places. 

Father Mollinger was able to recover many of them on his own, as well as through contacts such as Father Hyacinth Epp, a Franciscan provincial who traveled to Europe. Meanwhile, in Germany, the Kulturkampf (cultural struggle) began under Otto Van Bismarck. Distrust towards Roman Catholics was a common doctrine among the liberals of the 19th century. The Kulturkampf was a political struggle between the Catholic Church and the Imperial German government. The main concern was state control of educational and ecclesiastical appointments. Bishops and priests were imprisoned and sees were left vacant. Many felt that precious reliquaries were insecure and thus were sent away from Germany from desecration. Father Mollinger was able to obtain many of them.

Father Mollinger had traveled to Europe in 1880 to bring back more relics. When he returned, he approached the Church committee with a proposal to build s bigger church where his relics would be kept. Realizing that the parish could not afford the expense of a new building, the committee voted against his proposal. Father Mollinger decided that he would finance a chapel with his private funds. The cornerstone was laid on the feast of St. Anthony, June 13, 1882, and exactly one year later the chapel was dedicated. As it stands, there are more than 5,000 relics in Saint Anthony Chapel, with 800 encased with 525 accompanying documents.

The Chapel Draws Attention

Many visitors came to Troy Hill and Most Holy Name Parish during the late 1870s because of Father Mollinger’s work. As his collection kept increasing, crowds of people constantly came to Troy Hill for different reasons, and especially for the Corpus Christi processions and the feast of St. Anthony. The Pittsburgh Catholic reported that on June 13, 1888, a crowd estimated around 6,000 gathered around the chapel in the morning for the 10:30 a.m. Solemn High Mass. From 1888 until 1892 crowds of people continued to inundate Troy Hill. The August 31, 1889, edition of the Pittsburgh Catholic states there was an astoundingly large crowd. In June of 1892, the work of the enlargement of the chapel was completed. It now measured 125 feet long and 50 feet wide. Inside which are still seen to this day, beautiful wood-carved life-size stations were imported from Germany; new stained-glass windows were put in; the marble for the altar was imported from Rome; a new organ and new bells were installed, and additional fresco work was done by Adolph Steubner.

Father Mollinger's Last Years

Father Mollinger suffered chronic rheumatism during the 1880s. He also suffered from edema and had to contend with an old rupture, which gave him much trouble. Two prominent physicians, Dr. King and Dr. Peach, attended him frequently. During the last two years of his life, he had great difficulty sleeping. Those close to him knew that he did not have long to live. (The following material comes from the journal kept by the School Sisters of Notre Dame at Most Holy Name Convent. We are not sure which sister wrote this account.)

On June 13, 1890, on the feast of Saint Anthony, there was an extraordinary number of people here. Six thousand, as some newspapers reported, attended on that day. Already several days before, all places of lodging were overcrowded. On the eve of the feast, no more rooms, public or private, were available even for great sums of money. People who came from far away had to spend the night in our schoolyard and on the church steps. Rev. Suitbert G. Mollinger, for longer periods of time, had half the church filled with the sick, whom he blessed daily, and spoke to each one individually and recommended medicine for them. 

On the day before the feast, and already some days before, the rooms downstairs, where he usually received the sick, were too small, so that he took them to the classrooms where he tended to them not only during the day but into the night until eleven and twelve o’clock. In consequence of this exertion, Rev. S.G. Mollinger became very ill. He had an attack of the dropsy. The doctors feared for his life. On July 14, he traveled to Atlantic City in hopes of being cured by the ocean air. But he improved only very slowly. When, however, he felt a little better, he pursued even there, in Atlantic City, his favorite occupation, blessing the sick in the same church where he celebrated holy Mass. 

On August 18, 1890, Rev. S.G. Mollinger returned home, but his health had not improved. He was so weak, that he could not even walk by himself from the carriage into the house. On August 31, we celebrated First Holy Communion for 41 girls and 39 boys, a greater number than ever before in our parish, Rev. S.G. Mollinger did not attend the celebration, he was too ill. In the afternoon, after the services the Communicants went to the rectory where they received their Communion pictures. On Sept. 2, our school started again. On the first day, nearly 60 children entered. The magnificent Saint Anthony Chapel had just been completed, but not yet consecrated. On June 11, 1892, our Rev. S.G. Mollinger had been with the Most Rev. Bishop to ask permission for celebrating Holy Mass on the Feast. Since the existing altar of the chapel had been consecrated many years ago permission was granted. Rev. S.G. Mollinger was overjoyed. 

On June 12, he asked for two Sisters to help him with the decoration of the chapel and the altars. All afternoon, he and the Sisters and several men were busy decorating. He sent for the most beautiful natural flowers and green plants. Rev. S.G. Mollinger did most himself. In the evening, the chapel was most beautiful. Rev. Mollinger couldn't sleep all night. Finally, at 4 o’clock, he arose and at 5 o’clock he celebrated Holy Mass and gave Holy Communion to several of the sick. At 8 o’clock, he was still sitting in OU1" yard when he called me to himself and said to me, how beautiful his chapel was, and that during Holy Mass he had seen St. Anthony who told him to take good care of himself. Several times he called me over and had something to tell me. It seemed as if he had a premonition that he should see me for the last time. 

At 9 o’clock, he felt already very ill. As every year, very many sick people were here from all over. Hundreds stood in front of the church and in the street, as the crowd was too large to fit into the church. As every year, Rev. Mollinger wanted to bless the sick after the High Mass. But because he felt already very ill, he took along Rev. C. Laengst, his best and faithful friend. While he was blessing the sick, he felt worse. After he had finished, he had to be assisted into the house. They had to let him lie on the floor, so intense were his pains. On June 14, they called Dr. King who diagnosed his condition as very dangerous, and consulted with three other doctors. On June 15, the doctors decided on one last means to save his life, an operation. But it was too late. Rev. S.G. Mollinger died at 2:00 p.m. on June 15,1892. His burial took place on June 18 at Most Holy Name Cemetery. 

Father Mollinger died peacefully with a crucifix in his hand on June 15, 1892. His earthly remains were laid to rest on June 18, 1892, at Most Holy Name of Jesus Cemetery, on Mt. Troy Road; his chapel stands to this day as a monument to his devotion and good works.

Church Teaching on Relics

The remains of a saint or a belonging of Christ or His holy mother are divided into three categories:

1. First-class relics are parts of the body of a saint or an instrument of Christ's passion.

2. Second-class relics are objects sanctified by close contact with saints, such as articles of clothing, objects used in life or in the case of a martyr, the instruments of his torture.

3. Third-class relics are objects or cloths touched to either a first or second class relic.

The veneration of relics goes back to the early Church, even since Apostolic times. By the fourth century, when Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, putting an end to the persecution of Christians, the monuments built over the graves of the martyrs were transformed into magnificent sanctuaries and basilicas. When churches were erected apart from the tombs of martyrs, the remains of one or the other of the martyrs were transferred and enshrined within the altars. This gave rise this practice even unto modern times where a saint's relic is enclosed on a flat stone in the center of the altar. 

Even Constantine's own mother St. Helen was well known for identifying the relics of the true cross by applying a sick woman to all three crosses and once the woman touched the true cross, was healed. While relics have demonstrated miracles and are associated with profound veneration, St. Jerome instructed that, "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 relics of the martyrs in order the better adore Him whose martyrs they are." Adding to that St. Cyril of Alexandria writes, "We by no means consider the holy martyrs to be gods, nor are we wont to bow down before them adoringly, but only relatively and reverentially."

During the Crusades relics were marketed and rated for there value. In 1204, with the taking of Constantinople, a great number of relics were captured and Antioch, Jerusalem, and Edessa were successfully sacked. Relics were sent back to enrich the churches and cathedrals. Crusaders were more interested in the possession of relics, than their commercial value. Fake relics were also multiplied in increasing numbers, both by enterprising charlatans along with theft for an exchange of those captured. In 1274, the Second Council of Lyons prohibited the veneration of new relics without the permission of the Roman Pontiff. Shortly after the Council's declarations, Bishop Quivil of Exeter wrote this: "We command the prohibition to be carefully observed by all, and decree that no person shall expose relics for sale, and that neither stones, nor fountains, trees, wood, or garments shall in any way be venerated on account of dreams or on fictitious grounds."

From there to a couple centuries later, the Protestant revolters, such as John Wycliffe to Martin Luther made their criticisms of relics, making the claims that it was idolatry or that it was an invention of the Church to detract from Sacred Scripture. 

In response to such nonsense, the Council of Trent later declared:

The holy council commands all bishops and others who hold the office of teaching and have charge of the cura animarum, that in accordance with the usage of the Catholic and Apostolic Church, received from the primitive times of the Christian religion, and with the unanimous teaching of the holy Fathers and the decrees of sacred councils, they above all instruct the faithful diligently in matters relating to intercession and invocation of the saints, the veneration of relics, and the legitimate use of images, teaching them that the saints who reign together with Christ offer up their prayers to God for men, that it is good and beneficial suppliantly to invoke them and to have recourse to their prayers, assistance and support in order to obtain favors from God through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who alone is our redeemer and savior; and that they think impiously who deny that the saints who enjoy eternal happiness in heaven are to be invoked, or who assert that they do not pray for men, or that our invocation of them to pray for each of us individually is idolatry, or that it is opposed to the word of God and inconsistent with the honor of the one mediator of God and men, Jesus Christ, or that it is foolish to pray vocally or mentally to those who reign in heaven. 

Also, that the holy bodies of the holy martyrs and of others living with Christ, which were the living members of Christ and the temple the Holy Ghost, to be awakened by Him to eternal life and to be glorified, are to be venerated by the faithful, through which many benefits are bestowed by God on men, so that those who maintain that veneration and honor are not due to the relics of the saints, or that these and other memorials are honored by the faithful without profit, and that the places dedicated to the memory of the saints for the purpose of obtaining their aid are visited in vain, are to be utterly condemned, as the Church has already long since condemned and now again condemns them.

 Moreover, that the images of Christ, of the Virgin Mother of God, and of the other saints are to be placed and retained especially in the churches, and that due honor and veneration is to be given them; not, however, that any divinity or virtue is believed to be in them by reason of which they are to be venerated, or that something is to be asked of them, or that trust is to be placed in images, as was done of old by the Gentiles who placed their hope in idols; but because the honor which is shown them is referred to the prototypes which they represent, so that by means of the images which we kiss and before which we uncover the head and prostrate ourselves, we adore Christ and venerate the saints whose likeness they bear. That is what was defined by the decrees of the councils, especially of the Second Council of Nicaea, against the opponents of images.

Moreover, let the bishops diligently teach that by means of the stories of the mysteries of our redemption portrayed in paintings and other representations the people are instructed and confirmed in the articles of faith, which ought to be borne in mind and constantly reflected upon; also that great profit is derived from all holy images, not only because the people are thereby reminded of the benefits and gifts bestowed on them by Christ, but also because through the saints the miracles of God and salutary examples are set before the eyes of the faithful, so that they may give God thanks for those things, may fashion their own life and conduct in imitation of the saints and be moved to adore and love God and cultivate piety. 

But if anyone should teach or maintain anything contrary to these decrees, let him be anathema. If any abuses shall have found their way into these holy and salutary observances, the holy council desires earnestly that they be completely removed, so that no representation of false doctrines and such as might be the occasion of grave error to the uneducated be exhibited. And if at times it happens, when this is beneficial to the illiterate, that the stories and narratives of the Holy Scriptures are portrayed and exhibited, the people should be instructed that not for that reason is the divinity represented in picture as if it can be seen with bodily eyes or expressed in colors or figures. Furthermore, in the invocation of the saints, the veneration of relics, and the sacred use of images, all superstition shall be removed, all filthy quest for gain eliminated, and all lasciviousness avoided, so that images shall not be painted and adorned with a seductive charm, or the celebration of saints and the visitation of relics be perverted by the people into boisterous festivities and drunkenness, as if the festivals in honor of the saints are to be celebrated with revelry and with no sense of decency.

Finally, such zeal and care should be exhibited by the bishops with regard to these things that nothing may appear that is disorderly or unbecoming and confusedly arranged, nothing that is profane, nothing disrespectful, since holiness becometh the house of God. That these things may be the more faithfully observed, the holy council decrees that no one is permitted to erect or cause to be erected in any place or church, howsoever exempt, any unusual image unless it has been approved by the bishop; also that no new miracles be accepted and no relics recognized unless they have been investigated and approved by the same bishop, who, as soon as he has obtained any knowledge of such matters, shall, after consulting theologians and other pious men, act thereon as he shall judge consonant with truth and piety.

But if any doubtful or grave abuse is to be eradicated, or if indeed any graver question concerning these matters should arise, the bishop, before he settles the controversy, shall await the decision of the metropolitan and of the bishops of the province in a provincial synod; so, however, that nothing new or anything that has not hitherto been in use in the Church, shall be decided upon without having first consulted the most holy Roman pontiff.

Conclusion

If anybody ever happens to be passing through Pittsburgh PA, St. Anthony's chapel is a must stop. Be forewarned that when visiting, hours are limited from 12-3 every day except Friday, so plan accordingly. Its unique history, along with its enormous collection should be an inspiration to Catholics and hopefully the conversion of non-Catholics. Despite being in the hands of the Vatican II religion, I would still consider this place very holy.

On another note, while this article was specifically about St. Anthony's shrine, the neighboring state of Ohio also can boast of a shrine like it. Having the second largest shrine of relics in America is that of Mariah Stine, located in the central western corner of the state. It has 1,200 relics, with an addition of 5 relics of the true cross. Instead of being located in the middle of the city such as St. Anthony's this place is tucked away in a farming area. The hours of operation are normal business hours (generally speaking) along with a gift shop, museum, outdoor stations with a small chapel.