On the feast of Saint Jean Vianney, 2010, EWTN interviewed Father Richard Kunst about his papal artifacts, reputed to be the largest collection outside the Vatican. Since that time, because he has added so many new items, it has grown even larger and contains even rarer items.
We hope you are able to view this interview and were able to watch the The Papacy: A Living History on EWTN which aired the week of August 5-9, 2013. DVDs of the series are available for purchase from EWTN
Happy Anniversary, Papal Artifacts! And congratulations to our Curator!
The gift of his life to our Church and to all of you who are blessed to share in these artifacts are just a small part of the life of Father Richard Kunst. Like St. Jean Vianney, he is a parish priest with a school to whom he devotes the majority of his life as well as various other diocesan duties.
As a guide on pilgrimages to Rome and other holy places, including the Holy Land, Ireland, Fatima, Lourdes, Assisi, etc., he is known for his expertise and the level of fun he can add to anything.
This is a gifted man, a prayerful man, a man of infinite courtesy, whom we thank and honor today on his feast day.
Watch the EWTN Live interview with Father Richard Kunst which aired on Wednesday, August 4, 2010.
An Announcement From Father Richard Kunst
In August of 2010 the Catholic television network EWTN did a live interview with me about my Collection. It has always appeared on the Home Page. The show was very well received. Within a 36 hour period of the presentation, the web site received over 135 thousand hits from all over the world. There are now over thirty pages on the internet connected to Papal Artifacts.com.
In May, 2012, a crew from EWTN arrived in Duluth, Minnesota to tape a five-part series on my Collection. I hosted my own show this time with help from a brother priest from my diocese. I was very excited to share this Collection with a wider audience. Hopefully you will be able to view every episode.
I have always had a purpose in collecting these artifacts: to educate the faithful about both the structure of the Catholic Church and the popes specifically. When we call the pope the Vicar of Christ, what we are saying is that he is the voice of Christ on earth; that is what vicar means.
It has always been my hope and desire that my passion for the popes will lead others to the same love for and interest in our Holy Fathers, from Peter to Francis.
On the feast of St. Jean Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, Papal Artifacts extends a special note of gratitude to all those priests serving in parishes all over the world.
Note
A Wonderful Introduction to the Papal Artifacts’ Collection.
Since this interview was done in 2010, the Collection has grown significantly. We are not going to list those additions, but are correcting information that was unavailable in 2010. Here is the changed & current information regarding several items mentioned in the interview.
—Agnus Dei wax sacramental disks didn’t end with John XXIII: Father Kunst has one from Pope St. Paul VI’s papacy.
—There are autographs of every pope since 1623.
—Father Kunst has zucchettos from the time of Blessed Pius IX, even Pope John Paul I’s, a pope in 1978 for only 33 days.
—Holy Year bricks: Father now has the brick from the 2000 Holy Year.
—St. Maximilian Kolbe: a First Class Relic of him is part of this Collection even though the interviewer suggested it was not possible.
—In 2010 there were just 2 Popes canonized in 500 years: Pius V & X. But now, three more have been canonized: Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI & Pope John Paul II.
—A story mentioned in the interview involved two bound volumes belonging to Pope Clement XI. These books are no longer a part of this Collection.
