The heart has always been seen as the "center" or essence a person ("the heart of the matter," "you are my heart," "take it to heart,"... read more →
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following press release was issued this morning (June 27, 2019) by the Diocese of Peoria. Most Rev. Daniel Jenky, Bishop of Peoria,... read more →
The bull is generally an official document of the Holy Father. We know by the choice of threading used, either silk or twine, of the importance of any... read more →
A Word about the Featured Image As Father Kunst mentions in this interview he was fortunate to meet Pope St. John Paul II a total of seven times,... read more →
On 26 or 27 June 1968, Pope Paul VI Announced that the Bones of Saint Peter Were Discovered. It was during... read more →
The featured image is the cover of a complete set of sedi vacante stamps and contains one from each election with a picture of each pope and his... read more →
This papal bull, the most modern one in the collection, is on parchment and is dated 1958. The bull concerns the appointment of Cardinal Stephanos... read more →
FDC (First Day Cover) Stamps Issued June 26th, 1967 These stamps commemorated the consistory that appointed, among others, Karol Wojtyla as a cardinal. He is one of six... read more →
This zucchetto is actually a very historically significant item. Although it is... read more →
The Papal Artifacts’ Collection is primarily dedicated to artifacts connected to the papacy. Individual popes, their biographies and multiple items belonging to them, including first and second class relics,... read more →
A Word About Antipopes: A Commentary from the Curator One... read more →
License Issued to Carry a Weapon During Pontificate of Pius VII The document is an original parchment from 1804, issued from the office in... read more →
The Vatican is a city state and as such it has national characteristics such as a flag. The flag consists of two vertical bands: one is gold or... read more →
The menu is for the passengers aboard the flight and gives information in German, Italian and Polish about this historic journey of Pope John Paul II... read more →
Celebrating ‘The Source and Summit of Our Faith’ Corpus Christi Sunday Ever since I was a seminarian my personal spirituality has been focused on the Eucharist and... read more →
About the First Class Relic of St. Maximilian Kolbe: How does one come to have a first class relic of a saint who died... read more →
MT 6:7-15 Jesus said to his disciples: "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do... read more →
A Chalice & Paten Used by Pope John XXIII: June 16, 1959 A Chalice & Paten Used by Pope John XXIII: June 16, 1959 This chalice & paten... read more →
A Message From Pope Paul VI's Last Testament How can I worthily celebrate your kindness, O Lord, for having been included just as I... read more →
The following commentary by Giovanni Montini, the future Pope St. Paul VI, was written in response to a play about Pope Pius XII, called, The Deputy. The play... read more →
Pope Clement IX Era: 1667-1669 Giulio Rospigliosi was born in 1600 to an aristocratic family in Pistoria. He studied liberal arts with the Jesuits... read more →
This is a letter from the former king of Poland, Maximillian of Austria, to Pope Clement VIII, dated June 20, 1593. Maximillian as the Regent,... read more →
Here is Father’s Commentary: Of all the items I have in the Collection, and it’s quite massive, there... read more →
This silver pocket watch, owned by Pope Benedict XV, was probably given as a presentation gift to someone. It has the name of the pope in Latin... read more →
Father Kunst's succinct analysis of the reasons for our Church being centered in Rome is a wonderfully short read, offering lots of information about the, "why" the Catholic... read more →
A Word about the Rare Booklet Signed by Padre Pio Featured Above: A Booklet about St. Padre Pio signed by him. It... read more →
This is a papal shoe belonging to and worn by Blessed Pius IX, and, because of his beatification, it is also a 2nd class relic. It is... read more →
These cards are highly valued items given the significance of their meaning. As such, during this time of anniversaries of ordinations, we celebrate with priests all over the world... read more →
The Papal Artifacts’ Collection is primarily dedicated to artifacts connected to the papacy. Individual popes, their biographies and multiple items belonging to them, including first and second class relics,... read more →
The portion of this black cassock is a significant second class relic belonging to Albino... read more →
A card from the papal household is attached to the zucchetto and states that he wore this on June 15, 1957. A zucchetto is a small... read more →
This is a document dated June 15th, 1585, the first year of his pontificate. It is signed as Pope Sixtus V and is untranslated. It concerns... read more →