Head of patron saint of genital diseases to be auctioned in Meath

@IAPrincess, FYI Vitalis was hair oil,not aftershave. ( I love how we get off on these conversational byways)

Portia knows I did not give her a definition of a saint. I gave Wikipedia's definition and the Catholic Church's definition. Anyone having a problem with either definition, should take it up with both those sources and leave me out of it. I am also quite confident in Portia's own ability to research for an answer to her own question.

Portia . . You may ask now . . how is the process of sanctification accomplished . . in other words . . how are we made holy? Christ gives us the answer in a most concise fashion in his High Priestly prayer as found in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John of God's Word.***Verse 17: "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

Portia . . don't be mislead by the definition jacersagain has given you of a saint. This is the biblical definition of a saint.***CONTINUEDSanctified can be translated as "set apart" or "to those consecrated and purified and made holy." All members of the Christ's Church are called to be "saints," The many problems Paul describes in the Church at Corinth show that the brethren were far from achieving the goal of holiness, but that is what they were called and aiming for.If you are a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, then by biblical definition you are a saint. So how did its meaning change? According to the New Bible Dictionary, the apostles called all Christians saints, and "it continued to be used as a general designation at least up to the days of Irenaeus and Tertullian, though after that it degenerated in ecclesiastical usage into an honorific title" (second edition, pp. 487-488).

Portia . . don't be mislead by the definition jacersagain has given you of a saint. This is the biblical definition of a saint. Saint in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word hagioi, which is related to the Greek hagios—holy (New Bible Dictionary, second edition, pp. 486-487).God is holy (1 Peter:1:15-16) verse 15: "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;" verse 16: "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." and commands us to become holy as He is. He is the ultimate example and source of holiness. Holiness includes both the idea of being separated for a special purpose and being pure and right—acting and thinking like God. So God calls all members of His Church to be holy—literally, to be saints. Consider 1 Corinthians:1:2 “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:”

Answer to Portia’s question “What is a saint?” - In various religions (not just Catholicism, I add), saints are important people who are believed to have exceptional holiness. In Orthodox and Catholic teachings, all Christians in heaven are considered to be saints, but some are considered to be worthy of higher honor, emulation, or veneration (Wikipedia). Or you could say what the Catholic Church means by saints: All Christians aspire to become saints, that is, persons in heaven (officially canonised or not), who lived lives of great charity and heroic virtues. My late father, RIP, who was a practising Catholic but not a particularly religious man, had friends who said he was a ‘living saint’ even when he was alive. I really think Portia should look to why even erstwhile doubters of Christianity, like I was once, see the huge impact that the intercession of saints have had on the lives of ordinary people. She could start with looking into the phenomenon of Miracles. Next time she passes ‘that house’ in Duleek she might ask St. Vitalis to intercede for her, for her rubbishing of Catholicism and to help her dispel all doubts. Saints never say no to such requests; true peace of mind then ensues. Dear lost lamb Portia - do not be afraid to ask St. Vitalis.

I was in a Croatian Catholic church museum not long ago – there were thousands of relics of Christian saints on display inside it, almost all were tiny chips of human bone while outside in an alleyway off the main square of the town about a hundred chips of saints bones were on display in an ordinary glassed-in panel, all with the name of the saint below each chip. I don’t know how long that glass-panelled case has been situated in that public alleyway space but one thing that struck me about it is that no one, absolutely no one has attempted to break the glass and steal the saints’ relics for themselves or perhaps for selling in a black market. A tiny piece of bone is what you are likely to receive if you request a saint’s relic for yourself from the Vatican.

Do you know that anyone can write to the Vatican and ASK for a relic of a saint for yourself or a family member? It will be sent to you in due course, free of charge (except maybe for postal charges). It surprises me therefore that the auctioneer thinks he can get a price for St. Vitalis’ head. Saints’ relics are literally priceless, which is why the Vatican gives them out for free, on request.

It seems odd to auction body parts, does this happen very often in Ireland ?

What is a saint? a glorified name given to someone when they die. What use is that? what purpose does it serve? Any person believing the head of some dead man is going to make a difference in their lives needs to question the insanity of the Roman Catholci cult and its indoctrination. I walked by that house to school for years and never knew about the "head"

The whole business of relics is bizarre-whether its part of a hipbone or a whole head. I have agree with the prior writer, UNLESS rubbing the head before you go out brings you good luck!

Relics shouldn't be bought or sold; if the family doesn't appreciate the thing it should be given to a church. The man himself apparently repented of his early wild life and became a faithful Christian. His remains deserve to be treated with respect.

I think elektros’ comment needs slight correction – mamaginnty made a sideways swipe on the central tenet of Christianity, not just of Catholicism... But the story of St. Vitalis is like parables of Jesus: how about the one that talks about the Shepherd looking for and finding the lost Lamb? Or the one about the Father and the repentant son? - both being great occasions of joy for Jesus’ Father. So it must have been for the erstwhile lost lamb/repentant called St. Vitalis. So it can be for all, with or without genital diseases, who say “Sorry, Dear Lord God!! I was wrong! I was lost and now I’m found.”

I think Mamaginnty has hit on one of the central tenets of Catholicism

I have always wanted to get ahead....