The town of Antigonish, NS was abuzz with energy last Monday as they anticipated the arrival of their favorite decaying arm. Perhaps most excited were the students of St. Francis Xavier University. After all, their arm was coming home.
Rylan MacInnis, a student at St. FX (Francis Xavier) University was interviewed shortly after viewing the withering limb.
“When I held my X-Ring up to that priestly forearm- I kid you not- my ring started trembling. The ring was trembling. I was trembling. Tears were streaming. In that moment, I felt that I too, could have started a jesuit order.”
Mitchell MacPherson, another student commented,
“I got my X-Ring at 2:37pm on December 3rd. I touched my X-Ring to St. Francis’ 465-year-old arm at 2:37pm on January 8th, thirty-five days later. But get this. 465 divided by 35? It equals 13. I thought that 13 was supposed to be an unlucky number, but after today? Nah. 13 is the only number for me now. My mom told me to stop buying so many loaves of bread, but I can’t. Thirteen all the way.”
How the appearance of St. Francis’ arm will affect Antigonish in the long run is still unknown, but what is known, is that the X-Ring ceremony happened, it was weird, and it will continue to happen for probably many years.