Again, in Europe, I am struck by the number of holy things now languishing in museums. The thousands of holy relics, the thousands of abandoned altars. Were they simply profaned at some point, taken and displayed? Or was there some sort of ceremonial desacralization performed? Can you desacralize the relics of a holy man or woman from centuries past?

If angels attend to each church and altar, do they simply wander away when that church or altar is turned into a mere tourist site, with no further sacred function? Or do they linger there, guarding their posts until the end of time?

Having read that Saint Francis of Sales made a point of greeting the holy angels of the places he went and the guardian angels of the people he interacted with, I was touched. I hadn’t thought of that, but I’ve often prayed to the saints whose relics languish in museums. Perhaps many other Catholic tourists do the same, whispering prayers as they stroll through the galleries.