Washington exhibit features holy cards

Published: 2005-07-25

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- An exhibit at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington features holy cards of saints ranging from the extremely popular, such as St. Joseph and Mary, to the less familiar, such as the mostly unknown St. Swithbert the Elder, an English Benedictine monk who was a missionary in the Netherlands in the late seventh century. The exhibit will be on display until Sept. 15. From the beginning of the church, it has been important to Christians to maintain practices that help them remember holy men and women whose lives they feel are an inspiration and to whom they can pray for intercession. These practices have included telling stories, singing songs and looking at pictures. Holy cards, or small cards that bear the image of a saint, angel or scene from the Bible, are part of this tradition. "The pictures represent men and women who are touched by divine grace and whose stories comfort, console and encourage," said Penny Fletcher, the center's museum director.

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