On September 6-15, 2019, Friar Agnello STOIA, Pastor of the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome, brought two prominent relics of the Apostles Philip and James the Lesser to the Cathedral of Salta in Argentina. Friar Agnello went to Argentina at the invitation of the Most Reverend Mario CARGNELLO, Archbishop of Salta. He traveled by permission of the Minister General, Friar Carlos Alberto TROVARELLI and with the personal authorization of Pope Francis.

Two fiberglass reliquaries were created for the veneration of the relics in the cathedral. Their design was inspired by paintings of the two apostles found in the crypt of the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles. They depict the Apostle Philip with a basket of fish and the Apostle James with a basket of loaves.
Phillip and James the Lesser have been the patron saints of the city of Salta since its foundation in 1592. Thus, the cathedral’s coat of arms bears the motto Pater et panis. Salta is nestled in the Andes Mountains at an elevation of 1,152 meters [3780 feet]. The city has suffered violent earthquakes in its history, but it has always remained miraculously unharmed. This special protection is attributed to the two patron saints, as well as the “Virgen del Milagro” (an image of Mary Immaculate) and the “Señor del Milagro” (an image of the crucified Christ). Every September 13-15, the cathedral celebrates a solemn feast preceded by a novena of prayer and penance. The feast attracts many thousands of pilgrims who walk hundreds of miles to Salta from the surrounding mountains. Because of this, the Archbishop wanted the delivery of the relics to coincide with this great manifestation of faith. The feast concludes with a procession in which some 800,000 faithful participate.
For Archbishop CARGNELLO, the presentation of the story of the patrons Phillip and James, and its insertion into the social context, is an opportunity for New Evangelization. Just as Philip and James readied the way of the Virgin and the crucified Lord in the history of Salta, so the presence of their relics adds fresh missionary zeal in a context of poverty and great hardship, at a difficult historical moment for the whole country. Friar Agnello was joined on this mission by Friar Simone SCHIAVONE, also from the Community of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome. The Archbishop welcomed both friars with great cordiality and gratitude. He encouraged them to visit the greater surroundings of the area, not just to see the beauty of the region but also its wounds. In fact, the Archbishop accompanied them to a very poor district in Salta, the Grande Norte, in the Parish of Santa Maria Reina de la Paz. While there, he visited a disabled child and his family. The family lived in a house constructed of a few bricks and a sheet metal roof. Despite their poverty, their dignity was evident, as was their affection for their Archbishop, whom they regarded as one of their own.
The feast concluded with a solemn procession numbering 850,000 participants. Afterwards, the Archbishop thanked the Minister General and the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, in the name of the clergy, the religious and all the people, for the great gift of the relics to the cathedral. Furthermore, he announced a pilgrimage to Rome for next year, to deliver copies of the images of the Señor del Milagro and the Virgen del Milagro, as a sign of communion with our Basilica.

Friar Agnello STOIA