Centuries-old relic of St. Francis makes stop in Montreal as part of cross-country tour

The right forearm of a 16th-century Jesuit missionary spent a portion of Tuesday at the Church of the Gesù in Montreal.

Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine says the relic of St. Francis Xavier arrived on a flight from Vancouver on Sunday afternoon, just in time for an evening mass.

The relic, which normally rests in Rome, has been criss-crossing the country as part of a tour to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.

WATCH: St. Mary’s Cathedral in Kingston played host to the relic of St. Francis Xavier, patron saint of missions. The forearm is actually 465 years old.

2:00 Religious Relic draws hundreds in Kingston

Christians in cities from Halifax to Vancouver have had a chance to venerate the relic, which never fully decomposed after the Spanish-born saint died in 1552.

Lépine says St. Francis Xavier was a missionary who baptized thousands of people in his travels across Asia.

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He describes the relic’s three-day stop in the Montreal as an opportunity for prayer.

“Francis Xavier was a missionary, so he went in Asia, he preached all of his life, he preached the love of Jesus Christ, so it’s an occasion to pray,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Francis Xavier was a missionary, so he went in Asia, he preached all of his life, he preached the love of Jesus Christ, so it's an occasion to pray," he said.

The tour’s organizers, which include the Ottawa archdiocese and the Jesuits of Canada, have said they hope to attract 100,000 visitors during the month-long tour.