Little Rock, Ark., Aug 22, 2010 / 11:21 am
For Margarita Butler, it was 30 years ago since she was in the presence of a saint. Butler, a member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, was happy to drive to the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock July 28 to view relics belonging to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.
"It's an honor to touch anything that belonged to her," said Butler, who saw Mother Teresa in New Orleans in the 1980s. "I hope she will bless all of us who come and love her."
Butler was among about 1,200 people who passed through the church on that Wednesday night to view two first-class relics of Mother Teresa, a reliquary containing her blood and a reliquary containing her hair. First-class relics are the physical remains of a saint, including hair, bone or blood.
Three second-class relics also were on display. Her crucifix was worn at her waist from the time she made her first vows as a Sister of Loreto when she was 20 years old. The display also included the rosary and sandals she used at the time of her death. Second-class relics are items worn or owned by the saint. She used the crucifix, sandals and rosary until she died at age 87 in 1997.