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Relic Exhibition Set For Montgomery County Parish

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A special Lenten exhibition of the relics of saints in the Roman Catholic Church is being held this Wednesday in a Montgomery County parish.

More than 100 relics of long-time and recently-canonized saints will be on display at Holy Martyrs Church in Oreland, Montgomery County from 8:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

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Relics from Pope St. John Paul II are among more than 100 relics of Roman Catholic saints that will be part of a Lenten exhibition on Wednesday at Holy Martyrs Church in Oreland, Montgomery County. (credit: Mark Abrams)

Father Jason Kulczynski is the church pastor and the caretaker of the relic collection.

"So I have some of the contemporary saints, so John Paul would be with Mother Teresa, and you know some of these, " Kulczynski says. "I call them the kids, all the young saints will be in one section over there. And inevitably, you know, now we have to find the reliquaries and the boxes and match them up with the saints. So it's like a good memory game."

Kulczynski says the relics aren't objects of worship, but rather a tangible physical connection to the saints who are models of holiness for the faithful.

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A collection of the relics of saints part of the Lenten exhibition at Holy Martyrs Church in Oreland, Montgomery County. (credit: Mark Abrams)

He says the relics offer an important connection.

"People are looking for something they can grab onto, something they can hold onto that's true and that's real and I think the lives of the saints are inspiring," Kulczynski says. "Certainly these saints are examples for us. And, Saint Paul even talks about that they're this cloud of witnesses and they're cheering us on as we continue to run the race."​

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