“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. O LORD, I am your servant” (Psalm 116: 15)
The Chapel of Relics at the Carmel Hill Monastery Vazhuthacaud, is a serene abode of quiet prayer and contemplation, in the company of the true witnesses to the Gospel. Housed in the underground cellar of the monastery and adjacent to Fr Adeodatus Memorial Carmelite Museum, the chapel is a sacred treasure to the eyes and hearts of the faithful who seek the intercession of these saints.
In a first, the chapel’s central niche depicts the Holy Trinity in glory. The chapel pays veneration to the beginnings of the Christian faith in the relic of the True Cross, relics from the Holy Land and the relic of the Proto Martyr St Stephen.
In Carmelite Communion, the chapel exhibits the holy relics of St Teresa of Jesus OCD (Teresa of Avila), St John of the Cross OCD, St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face OCD (Thérèse of Lisieux), St Elizabeth of the Trinity OCD, St Mary of Jesus Crucified OCD and the relics of the parents of St Therese of Lisieux – St Louis and Zelie Martin.
The relics of St Francis Xavier, St Padre Pio and bear witness to the uncompromising missionary zeal of the Church.
St Maria Goretti
The Chapel houses the relics of saints from Kerala including St Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception FCC, St Kuriakose Elias Chavara CMI, St Mariam Thresia Chiramel, St Euphrasia Eluvathingal and Bl Augustine Thevarparambil.
Erected from the personal collection of Servant of God Bishop Aloysius Maria Benziger OCD, the collections of missionary priests from the Flanders Province of Belgium and sourced from the OCD General House in Rome, the Chapel of Relics assures the faithful of the continuous intercession of these holy men and women, an inspiration to sainthood and quiet place to lay down one’s burden.