Relics of the Curé d'Ars at the London Oratory

On a visit to the London Oratory today, Fr Rupert McHardy kindly showed me the relics of St John Vianney which came to England soon after the death of the saintly Curé, brought by a French emigré family. They eventually found a home at St Edmund's College, Ware; the college has lent them to the Oratory. The collection is comprised of devotional items and other personal effects of the Curé.

The reliquary is displayed at the altar of Blessed Sebastian Valfré (1629-1710), a priest of the Oratory in Turin who was beatified in 1834. The altar is in a recess between the sanctuary and the sacristy door.

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