The arm of a man who was said to be the cousin of Jesus Christ will be taken on tour across the U.S. for the next nine months, according to the Catholic Church.
It will be the first time the relic, which the church says is the arm of St. Jude Thaddeus, has left Italy.
“Regarded as the patron saint of lost causes and desperate situations, the visit provides an opportunity for individuals to experience intimacy with someone who dwells in Heaven and beholds God face-to-face,” Father Carlos Martins, director of Treasures of the Church, said in a news release.
“It allows devotees to receive his blessing and entrust him with their petitions.”
According to Treasures of the Church, the relic’s tour begins at St. John Cantius Church in Chicago on Sept. 9, then it will move on to dioceses across the country, including in Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan, New York, Texas, Oregon, and California.
Jude was one of Christ’s apostles. He was believed to have martyred in Beirut several decades after Christ’s crucifixion.
Jude’s body was transferred to a tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome several centuries after he was martyred.
According to St. Peter’s, Jude’s arm was placed in a wooden reliquary shaped like a priest’s hand giving a blessing. A reliquary is a special receptacle for body parts or personal items of those deemed to be saints and martyrs by the Catholic church.
The tour schedule will continually be expanded, according to the release. Click here to see the tour schedule.
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