A well-preserved silver box, thought to be a Roman Catholic reliquary, rested atop the coffin of a man believed to be Capt. Gabriel Archer. The box was an unexpected find at the site of the 1608 Anglican church, suggesting the colonist retained his Roman Catholic faith, perhaps in secret. (Photo Courtesy of Donald E. Hurlbert/Smithsonian Institution )

I am wondering if the Catholic Church can PLEASE get this Soldier of our Lord back home. First class relics are property of the Catholic Church and must be handled with care and love as they are the bodily remains of a human being. I beg our Bishops to please investigate this.

Via Msgr. Florian Kolfhaus – “I guess, M means martyr. The relics don’t have to be brought to Rome, but they should be venerated..”. via Msgr. Florian Kolfhaus during a twitter conversation I was having with him. Monsignor Florian Kolfhaus serves at the Secretariat of State’s Section for the Relation with States at the Holy See (Vatican).

From NPR

“A well-preserved silver box, thought to be a Roman Catholic reliquary, rested atop the coffin of a man believed to be Capt. Gabriel Archer. The box was an unexpected find at the site of the 1608 Anglican church, suggesting the colonist retained his Roman Catholic faith, perhaps in secret.”

Also:

“Kelso says the capsule is “a lead vessel that would hold holy water, oil or blood; and the bone would be that of a saint. Put together, this is a very holy object.” There’s a letter “M” scratched into the surface of the box that holds the capsule. Kelso smiles: “That stands for ‘mystery,’ ” he says. No one knows what the “M” stands for.”

Also:

“But the object itself is clearly a reliquary — a container for holy relics in the Roman Catholic Church. And that is puzzling. The colonists were Anglicans — members of the Church of England. Many Anglicans at the time considered Roman Catholics their spiritual enemies.”

Please bring this Saint home.

1st Class Relic:

a part of the Saint (bone, hair, etc.) and the instruments of Christ’s passion

Canon Law 1190
§1 It is absolutely wrong to sell sacred relics.
§2 Distinguished relics, and others which are held in great veneration by the people, may not validly be in any way alienated nor transferred on a permanent basis, without the permission of the Apostolic See.

ADDING from the article from NPR: “It’s a 10,” she says. “It’s unique; nothing else like it.” That’s because of what’s inside the silver box, she says: a tiny lead capsule and some bone fragments (seen only via a CT scanner, after researchers decided the box was too fragile to open).

Eternal rest grant unto Gabriel Archer, and the others unknown to us, O Lord and let your perpetual light shine upon them. May they and all the holy souls in purgatory, rest in peace. Amen