A Heart on the Move
by
John J. Dunphy
Originally published in The Telegraph of Alton, IL 3.27.19
When someone told me that there was currently a heart tour in the United States, I thought he was referring to Heart, the legendary rock band headed by sisters Nancy Wilson and Ann Wilson. I was astonished when I learned just how wrong I was.
The disembodied heart of a man who died in 1859 is — quite literally — touring the United States. The heart belonged to one Jean Vianney, a Frenchman born in 1786 and ordained to the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church in 1815. Appointed to serve a parish at Ars, France, Vianney discovered to his dismay that many of the faithful “were either ignorant or indifferent to religion as a result of the French Revolution,” according to Catholic Online. “Many danced and drank on Sundays or worked in their fields.” Vianney delivered “homilies against blasphemy and dancing.” If his congregants “did not give up dancing, he refused them absolution.” Pope Pius XI canonized Vianney in 1925.
Jean Vianney’s body can be viewed in its glass reliquary located inside the Basilica of Ars. The Catholic Church states that his corpse is “incorrupt,” which means it hasn’t decayed. His heart, which was removed at some point following his death, is displayed in a small but ornate glass reliquary in the nearby Shrine of the Curé’s Heart.
The web site of St, Michael’s World Apostolate states that “In Europe, it is a common practice to remove parts of the body for relics once someone has been declared a saint.” It then somewhat defensively notes, “St. John Vianney’s heart is not preserved in formaldehyde or in any kind of gel. It is miraculously incorrupt.”
The Catholic Church has three categories for relics. Vianney’s heart is a first-class relic, which is a part of a saint’s body. An object used by a saint, such as clothing, is a second-class relic. A third-class relic is simply an object that has been touched by a first-class relic.
Officially designated as the St. Jean Vianney Relic Pilgrimage and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, this heart began touring the United States in November of last year. Most of the display sites are Catholic churches. The tour will conclude in June. Over 1,000 lined up to see the heart on March 15, when it was displayed at the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis.
Why this tour? Jean Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests. Peter Sonski, director of education and outreach at the Knights of Columbus Museum and a tour custodian of the heart, was quoted in The Leaven as saying, “The church in the United States is wounded now, and we are praying for our priests and looking to a saint who was a model of virtue and dedication to his ministry to help us through this period of injury and to renewal.”
Less than a week after the heart’s display at the Cathedral Basilica, however, Pope Francis declined to accept the resignation of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, archbishop of Lyon, following his conviction for failing to report a priest who was a known predator to the police. Instead, Francis asked Barbarin to do what he thinks is best for the diocese. Barbarin announced that he’ll take a leave of absence while his deputy assumes the responsibilities of archbishop.
Rev. Bernard Preynat, who confessed to abusing Boy Scouts in the 1970s and 1980s, is scheduled to be tried on sexual violence charges. His victims accuse Barbarin of covering up for him for years.
Sonski got it wrong. Yes, the church in the United States is indeed wounded — but it’s also wounded in France and numerous other nations. Many Catholics, including Catholic children, were betrayed and victimized by priests they trusted. Accepting Barbarin’s resignation would have facilitated more healing than any number of public displays of a disembodied heart.
Those of you who will dislike this column probably know me best as the author of “A Religion For A New Age” and “The Serpent and the Tower,” both of which can be read on Medium. FYI: I’m also the author of five books of history and seven books of poetry.