You’d think, after following that star from the East, the wise men would want to rest a while. But no. The journey of the magi isn’t over. They’re visiting Arizona this week, where fragments of the relics of the three wise men will be in Tucson:

The Catholic relics tour, titled “Come Let Us Adore Him,” will be at the Northwest Side’s St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church today, and at Downtown’s St. Augustine Cathedral on Tuesday.

“This is the closest I’m going to get to God in my physical lifetime,” said Arizona Knights of Columbus spokesman John Garcia. “And since this is a time of Christmas, it puts us closer in touch with the birth of Christ.”

The Arizona Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men’s group, and the Apostolate for Holy Relics, a non-profit organization, are co-sponsors.

The exhibit is also expected to feature relics from the manger, fabric from the Virgin Mary’s veil and Joseph’s coat, and a bone fragment from St. Elizabeth, who was the Virgin Mary’s ninth cousin.

“It’s a tangible thread between heaven and Earth,” said Thomas Serafin, a lay Catholic who is president of the Apostolate for Holy Relics.

“It allows us to gather as Christians and sometimes as non-Christians, put aside the man-made differences, give thanks, and ask for intercession for our lives and our families,” he said.

The relics, which come from a collection in the Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) in Cologne, Germany, were on display in Phoenix Nov. 30 and Dec. 2 and will return to Phoenix and Gilbert after the Tucson exhibit. Arizona is the first stop on the relics’ international tour. The next stop is Guam.

Though the authenticity of the relics hasn’t been scientifically proven, Garcia, the Arizona Knights of Columbus spokesman, said they have a long history of being venerated.

“Remember that this was a time when they needed something physical to believe with. It was a time of coming out of superstition,” he said.

There’s even more about the magi and the exhibit at the link.