Relics of Orthodox saints arrive in Weirton, telling stories of devotion through the centuries

WEIRTON, W.Va. (WTRF) — Four tiny pieces of bone have arrived in Weirton with centuries of history and faith to tell.

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church is preparing to display relics of four American saints, who devoted their lives to God in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The small wooden boxes were shipped to the church from the Orthodox chancery in Washington DC, containing the remains of St. Herman of Alaska, St. Innocent, St. Raphael of Brooklyn, and St. Tikhon of Moscow.

Reverend Andrew Nelko calls that for the faithful, God’s love can still be found in the saints’ remains, hundreds of years after they took their final breath.

“The idea is that the grace of God still dwells in those bones. They still dwell in the saints’ bodies. And when you’re able to have it, you’re able to be partakers of that divine grace.”

Rev. Andrew Nelko, St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church

The church is in the process of ordering more elaborate boxes for these relics, with images of each of the saints and their service on earth.

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