ORIGINS
OF THE ORGANIZATION
St. Francis of Assisi once said; “Start by
doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly
you are doing the impossible.”
In 1993 Thomas Serafin created Saints Alive, the first website
on the worldwide web devoted to the preservation / veneration
of first and second-class religious relics and the education
of the faithful.
Because of the great interest throughout the United States and
Europe it was believed to be beneficial and appropriate to establish
an international movement for the propagation of the preservation
and veneration of relics. The commonality of the organization
was to be centered on the desire expressed by the faithful,
to have a central source of educational information and a governing
official office. This was the beginning of the International
Crusade for Holy Relics (ICHRusa).
The ICHRusa spent over ten years battling the sale of relics
on the Internet. Being a pioneer in the safeguarding of the
historical remains of the saints; the ICHRusa was directly responsible
for combating the abuse through the use of the media, reeducating
relic sellers and buyers, and helping the Internet ISP’s
reevaluate their practices.
During an exhibit of relics from his private collection at the
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Museum in Glendale, California (November
- January 2002), a number of individuals offered financial and
professional assistance in support of efforts to exhibit, promote,
and preserve the collection. Desiring to take full advantage
of these offers of assistance, Mr. Serafin developed the concept
of a non-profit organization, the Apostolate for Holy Relics,
which would utilize the collection, along with the talents and
resources of many individuals, to increase appreciation of the
spiritual, historical, and artistic value of relics, to promote
the devotional veneration
This was the birth of the Apostolate for Holy Relics ( www.relictour.org)
, a Calif. 501c3 non-profit, tax-exempt corp. The AHR has enjoyed
a tremendous amount of success in a nationwide series of retreats
and relic tours. The AHR has been sanctioned as an “Official
Catholic Apostolate” by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
and its efforts have been recognized by the Church hierarchy
across the United States.
In light of the renascence in relic veneration and the resurgence
of interest, the ICHR has been reorganized into a membership
and informational center for the education and veneration of
the remains of the saints. The primary mission of the ICHR is
to build a foundation upon the saints for the youth of the Catholic
Church.
His devotion to the propagation of proper veneration of relics
and the education of the faithful has awarded him the honor
of being Knighted in; the Order of Immaculate Conception of
Vila Vicosa, Knight of Merit – Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George – U.S. Delegation, Knight Commander of St. Michael of the Wing by
HRH Dom Duarte Braganca, and the Imperial Order of the Dragon
of Annam as Liasion to HIH Prince Buu Chanh of Vietnam for Relics
of Vietnamese Catholic Saints.
Because of his noteworthy achievements that have proven to be
of a lasting value to society Mr. Serafin's biography has been
included in the Marquis Who's Who in America and Who's Who in
the World. Serafin has been recognized by the IBC for inclusion
in the 2004 edition of One Thousand Great Americans. The International
Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England has accurately highlights
the achievements of important people to a worldwide audience
of academics and researchers who use the information for individual
or scholarly research.
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