(Latin: relictus, remaining)
An object connected with a saint. It may be the whole or a part of the saint's body, or something the saint has touched, e.g., a garment. Such objects are venerated with the approbation of the Church because, though all the members of the Church are considered, and from the time of the Apostles are addressed, as "saints", those who practise heroic virtue or die for the Faith and are honored by the Church as exceptionally holy, merit the veneration of the faithful. This is paid by special respect for their remains as well as imitation of their virtues. Their relics are therefore enshrined on altars, carried in processions, and used to obtain cures and other favors.