Now Open to Pilgrims - Our Lady of Lourdes Relic Shrine

The Saints Have a New Home in Spokane Valley

More than 600 people celebrated the historic opening of Our Lady of Lourdes Relic Shrine— which is the world’s only relic shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes—marking a new chapter for relic veneration in the Pacific Northwest.

More than 600 people. Around 100 sacred relics. One historic evening—and an invitation that continues long after opening night.

On November 8, 2026, pilgrims from throughout the Pacific Northwest gathered at St. Mary Catholic Church in Spokane Valley to celebrate the opening of Our Lady of Lourdes Relic Shrine. One person even flew in all the way from Maryland to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event.

During this inaugural celebration of the Feast of Holy Relics, more than 50 sacred relics were permanently enshrined, establishing what The Relic Project believes is the largest permanent public display of sacred relics in the Pacific Northwest.

The Poor Clares of Spokane are generously supporting the shrine by lending 10 sacred relics each year.

The Our Lady of Lourdes Relic Shrine is also home to the only first class relic of St. Carlo Acutis in the Inland Northwest.

These sacred treasures now have a lasting home where pilgrims can pray, discover the stories of the saints, and be drawn closer to Jesus Christ.

An evening of prayer and shared faith

For the opening celebration, The Relic Project brought together around 100 sacred relics from churches, monasteries, religious communities, and generous laity throughout the Diocese of Spokane. More than 50 relics now form the shrine’s permanent display.

Father Curtis Seidel, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church, began the celebration by incensing the relics and reliquarium cabinets before blessing and opening the shrine.

For The Relic Project’s founder, Anthony Di Mauro, the opening carried a vision reaching far beyond that evening:

“We made history establishing a permanent home for these sacred treasures, where generations of pilgrims can encounter the saints and be drawn closer to Jesus Christ.”

The gathering also brought together Christians from Roman Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, and Oriental Orthodox traditions. Members of Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Church brought and displayed sacred icons, while young adults from St. Gregorios Orthodox Church in Spokane joined the celebration.

Their presence offered a beautiful expression of the reverence for the saints shared across these Christian traditions.

Young Catholics Helped Make History

Young people helped make the evening possible.

Students from the local Chesterton Academy took the initiative to organize and provide sacred music during veneration. Student members of Gonzaga University’s Knights of Columbus helped safeguard the sacred relics.

Then, the very next morning, the shrine welcomed its first school pilgrimage: fourth-grade students from St. John Vianney Catholic School.

That visit on November 9 offered an early glimpse of the shrine’s purpose—a place where a new generation can encounter the saints and discover their own invitation to holiness.

The saints’ stories give us much to reflect on: courage in difficulty, faithfulness in ordinary life, and love for Christ expressed through service. The shrine creates a place to pause with those stories and bring them into our own lives.

From a worldwide map to a permanent home

The opening is a new chapter in a mission that already reaches across borders.

Inspired by St. Carlo Acutis, Di Mauro, a 2025 Gonzaga University graduate, developed an interactive worldwide map of sacred relic locations to help people discover where they can encounter these treasures of the Church.

Through education, outreach, and relic veneration, The Relic Project helps people grow closer to Jesus Christ through the witness of His saints. Its work has received national and international attention through the National Catholic Register, Aleteia, Northwest Catholic, The Spokesman-Review, EWTN’s Vatican Insider, and Inland Catholic Magazine.

Now, that worldwide mission has a permanent place of encounter in Spokane Valley.

We are grateful to the churches, religious communities, students, volunteers, and generous individuals who helped make this opening possible—and to everyone who came to pray with us.

Come Encounter the Saints

Make a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes Relic Shrine at St. Mary Catholic Church in Spokane Valley. Discover the stories of the saints, spend time in prayer, and be drawn closer to Jesus Christ.

To schedule a guided tour with one of our docents, Emily or Shauna, email Contact@therelicproject.org.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Please make a donation if you support our mission!

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Explore our worldwide relic map and learn more about the mission at therelicproject.org. Share this story with someone who would love to discover this new place of prayer in the Pacific Northwest.

Click below to see a list of the saints that were present on November 8th.