Relic discovered in thirft shop

A few months ago, Sandy Bloomquist was cleaning and sorting items in the former St. Vincent de Paul Society's downtown thrift shop when she opened a dusty desk drawer and pulled out a small green box.

Inside the flip-top, jewelry-style box was an ornate metal decoration with an oval piece of glass covering a small item labeled, "S. Vincent de P."

"I figured it was a relic, but that's all I knew," said Ms. Bloomquist, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society's Toledo chapter.

Amy Aschemeier, a volunteer who had been helping organize the closed thrift shop's contents, jumped and shouted for joy when she saw it.

"She pulled this out and said, 'Look what I've got.' I said, 'Oh my gosh, Sandy, that's a first-class relic!,' " Ms. Aschemeier exclaimed.

"She hasn't settled down yet," Ms. Bloomquist said with a laugh Thursday.

What Ms. Aschemeier suspected, and has since confirmed, was that the box contained a holy relic -- a fragment of bone or body part -- from the 17th Century French saint for whom the St. Vincent de Paul Society is named.

"I was so excited. You should have seen me," Ms. Aschemeier said. "This is just so exciting. We need something positive in the Catholic faith."

Under the relic, tucked inside the green box, was a letter written in Latin, issued in 1905 by the superior general of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Paris.

"I opened it up and copied it real quick and took it home with me. I was worried that with things getting cleared out at the thrift store it might get lost or thrown away," Ms. Aschemeier said.

She and Ms. Bloomquist took the relic and a copy of the letter to the society's national headquarters in St. Louis, which confirmed that it was a first-class relic of their namesake saint. The Vatican has established three classes of relics, with first-class relics being physical remains of a saint or something directly associated with Christ's life.

Ms. Aschemeier of Perrysburg, who has volunteered at the society for six years, took the relic to the Toledo Catholic Diocese headquarters this week, where Msgr. Michael Billian affirmed its authenticity and told her the item was "a gift."

She also met with her pastor, the Rev. Kent Kaufman, of All Saints Catholic Church, who is considering displaying the relic at the Rossford church.

Tiny Music…Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop

Stone Temple Pilots proved that they were no one-hit-wonder or Pearl Jam clones with their classic second album “Purple.” It was with their third album, however, that the band reinvented themselves and found their own sound. The DeLeo brothers still had their signature killer hooks and riffs, but “Tiny Music” is noticeably more eclectic than its predecessors. “Tiny Music…Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop” mixes alternative rock and grunge with Bowie-like 70s retro glam, pop, and Beatles-ish harmonies and melodies to create a terrific album.

One thing that strikes the listener is that lead singer Scott Weiland sounds notably different on “Tiny Music” than he did on its predecessors. The baritone growl of “Core” and “Purple” has been replaced by a much higher pitched, more melodic voice. Not that one is better than the other, it’s just different.

“Press Play” an instrumental sets the mood for the album. The album starts out strong with poppy grunge “Pop Loves Suicide.” The similarly poppy grunge “Tumble in the Rough” keeps up the momentum and could have easily have been made a single. The glammy “Big Bang Baby” was one of the album’s biggest hits and remains one of the band finest, catchiest songs. “Lady Picture Show” shows the band paying homage to “Sgt. Pepper” era Beatles and was another hit off the album. The soft and melodic “And So I Know” is an interesting break and sets the album up for its other centerpiece “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart,” a defiant, no-holds-bar rocker that is another one of the bands finest, most memorable songs. The avant-garde “Art School Girl” shows the band branching out and exploring new terrain. Although the songs lyrics make no sense, it’s still an interesting listen. The leisurely, morose “Adhesive” is a welcome change of pace. Its cool saxophone solos are a nice touch to the song, and to the album overall. The album winds down with the subdued “Ride the Cliché,” “Daisy” (instrumental) and “Seven Caged Tigers.”

“Tiny Music…Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop” is an eclectic, invigorating album that combines many styles in a melting pot and never looses momentum. Although this album is adventures, the mix of styles and genres works together perfectly. “Tiny Music” is undoubtedly one of the finest rock albums from the 1990s.

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