Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Installation of the Relic of Saint John Vianney in the Church of Saint Mary Immaculate and Saint Athanasius, Manly
2 March 2025
It is with great joy and reverence that we gather this evening, united in faith and in hope, as we celebrate the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Today, in a special way, we mark an extraordinary moment in the life of our community of the Church. We gather here at Manly to install the relic of Saint John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, as this church becomes one of the Holy Year Shrine Churches in the Diocese of Broken Bay.
The installation of this holy relic is a reminder to us of the Church's deep and abiding tradition of venerating the saints. We are reminded, too, of the hope and grace that they offer us in our own pilgrimage towards salvation.
The saints, whose lives bear witness to the victory of Christ, accompany us on our path to the Kingdom of God. Through their intercession, their example, and their prayers, they help us to grow in faith and to follow the call of Christ with courage and conviction.
This is not a new practice, my brothers and sisters. It is one that is grounded in Scripture and Tradition, a practice that has been part of the Christian life from the very beginning. We can look to the biblical tradition, as seen in the second book of Kings, where we hear of a miraculous event involving the bones of the prophet Elisha.
In 2 Kings 13:21, we read: “Once, as a man was being buried, a band of raiders was seen. The man was thrown into Elisha’s tomb, and when he touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.”
This passage reveals to us that the physical remains of the saints are sacred, powerful, and a conduit of divine grace. They connect us to the holiness of those who have gone before us and, through them, to the eternal presence of God.
At the Council of Trent, the Church affirmed this practice of venerating the bodies of the saints. In Session XXV, it declared that the “holy bodies of holy martyrs and of others now living with Christ... were the living members of Christ and ‘the temple of the Holy Spirit.’”
In other words, these saints, whose bodies, through baptism, once housed the Holy Spirit, continue to witness to us, offering us the grace to live our faith more fully. Through their lives and their holy remains, we are reminded of the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death.
As Saint Paul reminds us in his first letter to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Cor 6:19). The saints, too, were temples of the Holy Spirit, and in their earthly bodies, they became vessels of God’s grace.
It is in this context that we celebrate the witness of Saint John Vianney. As the Curé d’Ars, Saint John Vianney dedicated his life to serving his people, especially through the sacrament of confession. He spent hours each day in the confessional, offering sinners the mercy and love of God. He was an instrument of God’s grace, a reflection of Jesus’ own love for humanity.
Saint John Vianney was not just a man of prayer, but a man of action, sacrificing his own comfort, fasting, and praying for the conversion of souls. His humility and deep love for God and His Church are a powerful reminder to all of us of the importance of living out our vocation with faithfulness and devotion.
Saint John Vianney’s life speaks to the heart of the Christian journey. It is a life wrapped in humility, in the recognition that salvation comes through God’s grace and mercy. It is a life dedicated to the service of others, following Jesus’ example of love, sacrifice, and selflessness.
My sisters and brothers, the Curé d’Ars teaches us that no matter the obstacles or challenges we may face, with determination, faith, and trust in God, we can overcome them and fulfill the calling that God has placed on our lives.
In the letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul speaks of the ultimate victory over death: “When this perishable nature has put on imperishability, and when this mortal nature has put on immortality, then the words of scripture will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Cor 15:54).
The saints are witnesses to this victory.
They have already been clothed in immortality, and they invite us to join them in that same victory through Our Lord, Jesus Christ. As we venerate their relics, we are reminded of the hope that is ours through the resurrection of the dead.
The relic of Saint John Vianney, which we install here today, is not just a piece of history, it is a living witness to the victory Christ has won for us, a victory that is ours through His death and resurrection.
My dear friends, let us turn our hearts to Saint John Vianney, and through his intercession, let us renew our commitment to living our faith with the same humility, love, and dedication that he exemplified.
Let us approach the sacrament of Penance with the same reverence and gratitude that he did, knowing that in confession, we encounter the mercy and love of God in a powerful way. And let us remember that the saints are not distant or unreachable; they are our companions on our pilgrimage of faith, offering us their prayers, their example, and their encouragement as we strive to live faithfully our baptismal vocation as disciples of Jesus Christ.
As we venerate this relic today, let it be a reminder to each of us that the saints are not just figures from the past, but living witnesses who accompany us on our path to salvation. Their lives point us to the hope we have in Christ, the hope of eternal life, the hope of victory over sin and death, the hope that one day we too will be clothed in immortality.
May the intercession of Saint John Vianney strengthen us in our faith, and may his example inspire all of us, especially our priests, to live lives of selfless service and unwavering devotion to God’s people.
May we follow in his footsteps, trusting in the mercy and grace of God, and never losing sight of the victory that is ours through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.