A sacred relic will be on display at a Victoria church this weekend. The 465 year old severed arm of St. Francis Xavier (zay-vee-uhr) will be on loan from Rome to St. Andrew's Cathedral as of Saturday. It's part of a North American tour, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria says it's a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for both the faithful and the curious to view the "incorrupt" glass-encased hand and arm of a saint up close.
Saints are considered incorrupt when their body does not experience normal decay.
St. Francis Xavier was a Roman-Catholic missionary who sis said to have baptized over a 100,000 people.
The last time the relic came to this continent was ov er 50 years ago in 1963. It will visit 15 Canadian cities across Canada before being retunred to its home at the Jesuit mother church in Rome.
St. Andrew's Cathedral will hold public venerations from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. this Saturday.