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A rare opportunity for the faithful to venerate St. Thomas Aquinas is underway as his skull tours Washington and seven Eastern states. The relic has been on a European tour over the past year, marking significant jubilees: 700 years since his canonization in 2023, 750 years since his death in 2024, and 800 years since his birth in 2025.
The U.S. tour began in Washington on November 29 and will continue through December 18, visiting ten cities. St. Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican medieval theologian known for works like "Summa Theologiae," died at Fossanova Abbey in Italy on March 7, 1274. He was canonized on July 18, 1323, and declared a doctor of the church in 1567.
Originally housed at a Cistercian abbey until 1369, St. Thomas' relics were later moved to Toulouse, France. A new reliquary was commissioned by Dominicans there for the current tour. The relic was recently displayed in the Czech Republic and France and is scheduled to visit Manila and Luxembourg after its U.S. stops.
In Washington, events are sponsored by St. Dominic Parish, the Dominican House of Studies, and the Thomistic Institute. Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory celebrated Mass at St. Dominic on November 29 with continued veneration throughout the day.
Father James Sullivan of St. Dominic’s Priory highlighted the significance of relics: “The veneration of the relic brings about a certain devotion in the faithful,” he said.
Father Gregory Pine emphasized that venerating such relics draws attention to "the masterwork of wisdom and sanctity which God wrought" in St. Thomas Aquinas.
Other scheduled visits include locations such as Providence College in Rhode Island on December 4 and Sts. Philip and James Parish in Baltimore on December 18.
In addition to this skull from Toulouse, another believed to be that of St. Thomas was found in Fossanova in 1585 and resides nearby Priverno.
Father Sullivan noted that natural theology teachings make St. Thomas accessible: it’s about "becoming a better person," he said.
Kurt Jensen reports from Washington for OSV News.
