More To Come
Father Dunne's collection of relics is vast. The task of cataloging, researching, documenting, and photographing the dozens upon dozens of relics and history will take a while. I am not a historian, nor fluent in latin or greek, or even deciphering handwriting on old documents. If any of you are skilled in those things I am not, reach out as I am searching for assistance. My goal is to have new relics and the Saints they belong to completed every week. That may not be possible but please stay tuned and check back. Father Dunne's treasures is truly a treasure of the Church and we are lucky to have them preserved for veneration by generations that come after us.
Hopes
The hope of this effort is that it contributes in some tiny way to the US Bishop's three year mission of Eucharistic revival. The hope is that it brings those in our parish into deeper communion with Christ's mystical body on earth through the Saints relics right here in our midst. The hope is that a few feel called to celebrate Mass and receive the Eucharist more often through reflection and celebration of all our feast days. Hope that a few of us gather together on those feast days to venerate and be inspired by the Saints. The hope that stumbling across one of these Saints brings even one person in need to the Church and Christ's mercy and love.
I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
What is crooked cannot be made strait, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
I said to myself, I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but chasing after wind.
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow.
—Ecclesiastes 1:12-18
…knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
—1 Corinthians 8:1
A Brief History of Our Parish
In 1808, the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware and part of New Jersey were subdivided from the Diocese of Baltimore by the Vatican; creating the Diocese of Philadelphia. The Archbishop of Baltimore granted the establishment of Elkton as a mission to St. Francis Xavier. Through the donations of seven local Catholic families, the cornerstone of the original church was dedicated in 1849. Originally founded on Bridge Street in Elkton (adjacent to Union Hospital), the parish site consisted of a church, rectory and cemetery. Later a school and convent were added on this small parcel of land. The stimulated interest at the time was in the doctrine of Mary conceived without sin …surely influencing the naming of our parish.
In 1868 under the Most Rev. Thomas A. Becker, the Diocese of Wilmington was created by the Pope to include all of Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. That same year, Immaculate Conception Church became a separate parish in its own right and received its first resident priest, the Rev. Francis Blake.
Read more at the Immaculate Conception Parish site or read a more detailed history at the Diocese Of Wilmington Wiki.