Relics are physical links to a saint or the Holy Family, such as clothing, belongings, the person’s body, or materials that have touched those things. Relics are classed based on their proximity to the saint. First class relics include a saint’s body, most often fragments of hair, skin, or bone, or items directly associated with Jesus and the Holy Family, such as pieces of the True Cross. Second class relics include items that a saint touched, most commonly clothing, possessions, or dirt from the saint’s grave. Third class relics, which are most common, include materials touched to a first or second class relic.

Sources:

"Ex indumentis," Wikipedia, May 13, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_indumentis.

"How to read Latin inscriptions on labels of antique Catholic relics," The Russian Store. Accessed 22 October 2024.

https://www.russianstore.com/en/articles-slideshows/how-to-read-latin-inscriptions-on-labels-of-antique-catholic-relics.

"Relics of Saints: What You Need to Know," House of Joppa. Accessed 22 October 2024. https://www.houseofjoppa.com/blogs/news/relics-of-saints-what-you-need-to-know.

Thurston, Herbert. "Reliquaries." In The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company, 1911. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12762a.htm.

"What is a relic?" The National Shrine of St. Jude. Accessed 22 October 2024. https://shrineofstjude.org/learn/catholic-history/what-is-a-relic/.