Please send us your experiences of the Therese visit, as we would like to see how it has touched individuals across the country.
Send emails with your experiences to Editorial@catholicherald.co.uk with "Therese Visit" in the subject line and your name and address in the body of the email. We look forward to hearing your stories.
Therese at Westminster 15 October 2009
From Kensington St Therese was brought to Wormwood Scrubs, a prison in West London, where some 100 prisoners attended Mass celebrated by Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster and venerated the relics. They also stopped at the Carmelite Convent in Notting Hill where they stayed for two hours. On Monday evening they were brought to the Cathedral where they were met by auxiliary bishop John Arnold. An all night vigil was held the next night, with Archbishop-elect of Birmingham Bernard Longley for the Year for Priests, while seminarians from Allen Hall also watched all night. Today the relics will leave Westminster Cathedral after a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Nichols and return to Lisieux. The crowds have swelled, and queues in the last few days grew to three hour waits outside the Cathedral at certain points of the day.
The Telegraph had several nice pieces, Peter Stanford writes that the relics have brought back a yearning for spiritualityhere and Elizabeth Grice wrote about the arrival of the relics--apparently the hearse that they have been travelling around the country in is called a "hearsette".
The Guardian carried two very different comment pieces, one was a very measured interesting piece by Stephen Moos and the other, a somewhat hysterical piece by Sophie Deboick, a researcher at Liverpool University on the cult of Therese
In the Times, Matthew Parris writes a follow up to his earlier piece on the relics, claiming that his visit to the relics in Westminster has offered yet more confirmation of his atheism, while the BBC did a photograph slide-show
On the Blogs, at Bara Brith there is a post about going to Westminster, while Laurence England on That the bones you have crushed may thrill has written about the different approaches of the Guardian writers.
Mac McLernon writes about her trip to Aylesford, despite not really being that much of a St Therese fan, while Rocco Palmo over on Whispers at the Loggia has an overview.
For a blow-by-blow account the best stop is at the official blog of the Bishops of England and Wales
Links, news, Therese roundup 12 October 2009
Independent Catholic News covers the Kensington event here where over 2,000 people came to venerate the relics while the BBC covered the visit of the relics in Aylesford , while the official blog carries the full text of Fr John Keating O. Carm’s homily at Ayelsford.
Britain’s Catholic bloggers were out in force at Aylesford as could be seen from the number of blog posts about the event. Fr Tim Finigan and Fr Ray Blake were there as was Fr Stephen Langridge who runs the Southwark Vocations blog .
Richard Marsden of Bashing Secularism, writes about the visit of the relics in Walsingham , while Br Mark Davoren OP reflected on relics before the Oxford Dominicans sang compline last week.
The Carmelite Church, Kensington 11 October 2009
Catholicrelics.co.uk Mark Greaves went to interview Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor at the Carmelite Church in Kensington on Sunday:
On Sunday evening the relics arrived at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St
Stock Church in Kensington, west London.
Hundreds queued for hours to attend a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Cormac
Murphy-O'Connor, who described it as a "wonderful and uplifting event".
But police struggled to contain the crowd outside and ordered the Mass to be
cut short so that some people could be let in.
For those who were prepared to wait, the church stayed open all night.
Rodrigo Sanchez, from Feltham, Middlesex, said he was prepared to queue for
as long as it took to see the relics.
"I'm 24, and that's a significant year for St Therese because that¹s when
she died. I'm a long-term devotee of Padre Pio. But when I heard that she
was coming I got more and more interested in her life and what it¹s about
and I feel in some way she¹s calling me to her and my devotion to her has
become stronger as I¹ve got to know her," he said.
"I've had a bumpy time recently and I felt that Padre Pio was introducing me
to a good Doctor who would take care of me."
Philip Burke, who lives around the corner from the Kensington church, said
the appeal of St Therese had extended beyond a hard core of devotees.
"I first heard about it on the Today programme," he said. "It's generated
such massive interest. It¹s hard to know exactly what the draw is I
thought I¹d come along to partake in the event and say a little prayer."
"I think the sheer number of people turning up does show that people are
desperately searching for something. Lots of people just feel drawn."
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O¹Connor, who celebrated a special Mass in
Kensington, said afterwards that the relics challenged secular society to
think about the meaning of prayer and the afterlife.
"A large section [of society] saw this kind of prayer as something that they
didn't quite understand," he said. "But it makes them think: Why do
sensible people do this? Why do they go to pray before relics?' They raise
questions about the afterlife the reality of the next life as well as of
this life. They find it puzzling."
The cardinal said the visit of St Therese¹s relics at Wormwood Scrubs prison
could help prisoners realise that, whatever they have done, "no one is
beyond the mercy of God".
"That's a very important message and there is no
better place to witness to it," the cardinal said.
The relics were to be taken to Wormwood Scrubs prison this morning and are
scheduled to arrive at Westminster Cathedral at 6.30pm.
"As we come to pray before the relics of this, our little sister, we should have that same passionate desire to become as little children, to leave behind our hesitation and our fear. Let us, during this time of grace, ask God not for little things, but for huge favours. We should pray with confidence for the conversion of sinners, for the transformation of our city and of our nation, and above all let us place ourselves unreservedly into His hands, asking that we may cease to be lukewarm and mediocre Christians, but that instead we may become great saints. Nothing is impossible to God - absolutely nothing - so why do we ask Him for so little?"
The Oxford Mail estimated that some 6,000 people venerated the relics in Oxford.
Last night, the relics travelled on to St Joseph's Church in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.
St Thérèse arrived at the Oxford Oratory yesterday evening. James Bradley was on hand to take some stunning photographs. After Sung Vespers there was a Sung Concelebrated Mass with Bishop William Kenney, the administrator of Birmingham archdiocese. And at 11.45pm Oxford's Dominican Friars led Sung Compline, which was followed by an all-night vigil.
At 5.45am this morning the Sisters of the Work led Matins and Lauds. A few hours later, a Sung Latin Mass in the extraordinary form was celebrated. After lunch, there was a healing service for the sick, followed by Benediction and a service of departure with Bishop Philip Boyce.
The Oxford Mail quotes Fr Richard Duffield, of the Oratory, as saying: "It is a very exciting, unifying and prayerful time for all the community of Oxford, not just the Catholics."
From Middlesbrough to Oxford; pilgrims flock to relics 7 October 2009
Children in Nottingham Cathedral hold up their drawings of St Therese at the children's liturgy in Nottingham(Photo: catholicrelics.co.uk)
St Thérèse is now on her way to Oxford. Everyone there is very excited. Since we last posted she has filled Middlesbrough Cathedral, drawn crowds at Kirk Edge Carmel near Sheffield and has been almost universally popular.
Organisers at York Minster reckon that the relics drew some 10,000 people while around 14,000 people streamed past St Thérèse at Middlesbrough
, availing themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation as pilgrims have throughout this journey. Other reports from Middlesbrough are here and from the West Hull Youth blog as well as James and Ella Preece, who weren’t able to go.
A lovely anecdote from St Mary’s Cathedral, Middlesbrough appeared on the official bishops’ conference blog. One volunteer who was handing out roses to pilgrims said that she gave out over 300 in the space of two hours .
Some 2,000 people lined the streets in Leeds when St Thérèse was brought into the city. The visit of the relics to St Anne’s Cathedral drew another 14,000 people. Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds was there to greet the relics. He said that St Thérèse was a saint for modern times.
The Yorkshire Evening Postreports and Jane Teresa on My Heart was Restless blog has some interesting posts, one about Thérèse’s vocation to be a woman priest and Thérèse in Leeds.
From Leeds, St Thérèse was taken to Nottingham, where another 8,000 pilgrims flocked to venerate her relics. This is Nottinghamreports
Yesterday she was at Our Lady of Walsingham , where there was an ecumenical service led by the director of the Catholic shrine at Walsingham St Thérèse led by the Director of the Anglican shrine the Rt Revd Lindsay Urwin and Fr Alan Williams, Director of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Today she was taken to Oxford. They’ve organised several events. The Dominicans from Blackfriars will be singing Compline at St Aloysius Church this evening and parishioners and priests atthe Oratory have organised a play.
For those of you on Twitter follow @jamesdbradley who will be tweeting and sending pictures.
And the Jesuits at Thinking Faith magazine have a report by Sr Janet Fearns FMDM who was travelling with the relics as a member of Missio and reporting on the progress.
St Thérèse moves hearts in the North 2 October 2009
The casket holding the relics of St Thérèse in York Minster, the only anglican stopping point during the tour(Photo: catholicrelics.co.uk)
Much has happened in the last few days in St Therese’s travels. On her feast, yesterday, St Therese drew crowds to York Minster—the only Anglican stop for the relics during the tour of Britain.
.
While the Beeb reports hundreds of pilgrims at the Anglican Cathedral, the York Press talks of massive queues at York Minster, as people thronged to get a glimpse of St Therese and venerate the relics.
The official blog of the Therese tour has a lovely story of an apostolic Carmelite Sister Teresa, who visited the relics of St Therese in York Minster on October 1. Sister Teresa celebrated both her feast and birthday by venerating the bones of her namesake.
During his last public speech at his summer home in Castel Gandalfo, yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI urged the faithful to remember St Therese as an example.
“Her testimony shows that only the word of God, received and understood in its concrete demands, becomes a source of renewed life.
"To our society, often permeated by a rationalist culture and widespread practical materialism, little Thérèse of Lisieux points out, as the answer to the great questions of life, the 'little way,' which looks instead to the essential of things."
Since the last reports, here, the casket with the relics has been at Manchester University Chaplaincy, Lancaster (both the Carmelite convent in Preston and the Cathedral)
, St Andrew’s Newcastle-on-Tyne , the Darlington Carmel
and are heading to Middlesborough today. At Leeds, on the weekend, organisers are expecting vast crowds.
On Comment is Free at the Guardian, Heather McDougall says that the surprising thing about St Therese's relics is that they also attract non-Catholics.
On the blogs, the Sisters of the Gospel of Life went to see St Therese in Lancaster, while Jane Teresa of My heart was restless has pictures of standing in the queue in Newcastle on her blog . Fr Michael Brown at Forest Murmurs shares his St Therese experiences.
Last but not least a video report:
St Thérèse draws huge crowds in Salford 28 September 2009
Tens of thousands venerate St Thérèse at Salford Cathedral (Photo: catholicrelics.co.uk)
Almost 80,000 pilgrims have come to venerate the relics since their arrival in Britain 14 days ago. According to the figures on the official Thérèse blog, there were 17,000 people in Liverpool and another 30,000 came to visit the relics in Salford, Greater Manchester.
The Liverpool Echoreports on the crowds while Robert Hardman at the Daily Mail wonders why St Thérèse manages to attract so many people.
. The Manchester Evening News reports on the weekend hordes
In Liverpool, St Thérèse dazzles 25 September 2009
Thousands greet St Thérèse at Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King (Photo: Archdiocese of Liverpool)
The BBC reports that up to 15,000 people have venerated the saint's remains at Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.
Auxiliary Bishop Tom Williams said: "It's been stunning, we had thousands and thousands of people visiting us on Thursday. I've never seen the cathedral so full, we had people queuing outside."
Swine flu questions raised 25 September 2009
Mark Henderson, science editor of the Times, has written an article asking whether the veneration of the relics poses a swine flu risk.
He says: "The St Thérèse UK tour ... is promoting just the sort of behaviour that swine flu likes. It also comes at just about the worst possible time, when swine flu cases are starting to rise again after a hiatus over the school summer holidays. The schools are back, the weather is getting colder, and the stage is set for a second wave. And pilgrims are being encouraged to have close physical contact with a piece of plastic that's recently been touched by thousands of other people."
Meanwhile, a Labour councillor has made the same point - though in far less polite terms - on the micro-blogging site Twitter. Damian Thompson has the details.
St Thérèse on the Today programme 25 September 2009
The BBC's flagship Today programme had a report on the relics tour this morning. North of England correspondent Danny Savage was the reporter. You can listen to it here [scroll down to 0742 and click to play].
Relics leave Bristol 25 September 2009
The relics leave Filton (Photo: catholicrelics.co.uk)
St Thérèse's relics left Bristol yesterday after a tremendously successful visit. According to Clifton diocese thousands of people venerated the saint's remains at St Teresa of the Child Jesus church in Filton. Evening Mass was so popular that the Mass had to be relayed on speakers outside the church and in the next door hall.
You can read the thoughts of Fr Robert King, a Clifton priest who regularly contributes to BBC Bristol's Thought for the Day, on the saint's stop in Bristol here.
Matthew Parris: Round 2 24 September 2009
Journalist Matthew Parris returns to the attack following his controversial article last week deploring the relics visit. In the Times today he says:
"I'm enjoying the correspondence about my denunciation ... of the British tour of the bones of St Thérèse of Lisieux. One Christian correspondent deplores the 'vituperative' language of atheists like me with my 'depraved mind'.
"If modern Christians had but a cursory sense of history, they would know that this was what the Reformation was all about. Martin Luther was wonderfully vituperative on indulgences. John Calvin's Treatise on Relics is unequivocal: 'The desire for relics is never without superstition and, what is worse, is usually the parent of idolatry.' England is a Protestant country. It should be the Anglican and Nonconformist Churches leading the charge against idolatry."
And they accuse Catholics of being divisive...
Thérèse arrives at Bristol parish 23 September 2009
St Therese's relics arrive at the Church of St Teresa of the Child Jesus (Photo: catholicrelics.co.uk)
Hundreds of faithful welcomed the relics to the Church of St Teresa of the Child Jesus in Filton, Bristol, today. The church has the distinction of being one of the first parishes to be named in the saint's honour.
Fr Michael McAndrew preached at the evening Mass. He said:
"Even if we have faith to believe in God's love we may think we are not worthy of him. We may feel that our sins and failings stop us drawing close to God. We can allow all sorts of things to stand in the way of knowing God's love.
"The barrier is all on our side. There is no obstacle to knowing, experiencing God's love. There is no obstacle on God's side. The teaching of St Therese is that nothing should stop us drawing close to Jesus, no sin, no failing, no weakness."
Full text here.
The Bristol Evening Post describes the visit as having the atmosphere of a royal visit.
Meanwhile, the Rev Richard Barrett offers a Protestant perspective on the relic's stop in Filton.
Thérèse's relics leave Cardiff 23 September 2009
Cardiff's faithful say farewell (Photo: catholicrelics.co.uk)
Thérèse's map of Britain 23 September 2009
The saint's map
As a child, Thérèse sketched a map of Britain. Uncannily, the map highlights some of the stops on the tour of her relics, including Bristol, York and London.
Cardiff 23 September 2009
The three bishops of Cardiff province (Photo: catholicrelics.co.uk)
The three bishops of the ecclesiastical province - Archbishop Peter Smith of Cardiff, Bishop Edwin Regan of Wrexham and Bishop Tom Burns of Menevia - were present throughout the celebrations in Cardiff. Many members of the clergy and representatives of religious congregations, including the Carmelite Community of Dolgellau, were also present.
According the official visit blog nearly 4,000 people passed through Cardiff Cathedral while the relics visited Wales.
At the Farewell Mass Bishop Burns said:
"She is not without reason called the greatest saint of modern times. She attended to something more important than anything we could think of - she answered a call to holiness. That then must be the rock bottom basic hope that she has for all of us that we, too, will respond to God's call to holiness. As a consequence of Thérèse's example of holiness many people have already changed their lives. So if we, too, are called to holiness then that must bring about a change in the everyday situations of our lives."
You can read the full text of Archbishop Peter Smith's homily at the Mass for Evangelisation on September 22 here.
Over 22,000 people have been to venerate the relics of St Thérèse as they have made their way through England to Wales. After leaving Taunton, St Thérèse's relics went to Birmingham over the weekend where they drew 11,000 visitors.
Reports have been varied:
In the Sunday Times columnist Minette Marrin has jumped on the anti- Thérèse bandwagon, and has said that is a sign that tolerance has gone too far.
The Mirror looks at why Thérèse is the hottest ticket in town
While on the blogs, Matthew Doyle writes about the relics at St Chad’s on Lacrimarum Valle as does a parishioner of the Birmingham Oratory on Expectation of Our Lady, who reports on the queues outside the Cathedral.
Fr Ray Blake did a round-up on Saturday and Fr Tim Finigan has looked at St Thérèse’s desire to be a priest.
At the Oxford Oratory, where the relics will be from October 7-8, there are pictures of the mystery play that they are performing now up on the Oratory website. There is a nice shot of Fr Dominic Jacob playing the priest who heard St Thérèse’s first confession.
In the Guardian, the Chaplain at Wormwood Scrubs prison has written a letter rebutting Simon Jenkin’s piece about St Thérèse.
And as always, the Bishops’ Conference official blog is excellent and has some great video coverage of the visit too.
Towards Taunton 18 September 2009
Venerating the relics at Plymouth Cathedral, which was packed to capacity Photo: catholicrelics.co.uk
The relics are being moved from Plymouth Cathedral to Taunton today. According to the Plymouth news, the Cathedral was “packed to capacity” as pilgrims formed a procession to venerate the relics.
Mgr Bart Nannery, who is the dean of the Cathedral, told the local paper: "St Thérèse had an incredible ability to uncomplicate religion. She lived at a time when the Church was putting forward a very harsh message of God.”
"She went straight to the source of things, the supreme command of God, and she applied that to her own life and in little ways. In loving her neighbour to the highest perfection, she became close to God."
Bishop Crispin Hollis in Portsmouth issued words of thanks after the relics departed. Around 4,500 people came to see the relics during their 26-hour first stop during their month-long tour of England and Wales.
He said: “Over the years of the history of our Diocese and our Cathedral in Portsmouth, we have witnessed many great events and occasions. But, for sheer intensity of prayer and real devotion, I doubt whether any have matched what we have experienced during the hours of the visit to the Cathedral of the Relics of St Thérèse.
After thanking the organisers and those who helped, he also said: “There have been many occasions when I have been intensely proud to be the bishop of our diocese of Portsmouth, but never more so than now. I will keep the memory of these days and, I hope, the graces that have flowed from them forever in my heart.”
The media coverage has remained overwhelmingly positive, though there has been a bit of a St Thérèse backlash:
On the Times website, Bess Twiston-Davies writes about why she will be joining the hordes in Westminster in October even though she found St Therese too sentimental when she was younger.
Backlash on the Guardian website, where Simon Jenkins writes loftily about the relics, which he describes as “jujus, religious placebos for the credulous classes, which presumably includes the inmates of Wormwood Scrubs”.
He says: “ Most of us find them ghoulish. But other cultures think the same of our eating meat or worshipping football or reading the stars or anthropomorphising animals. In the hierarchy of weird pastimes, relic worship must be among the most harmless. We do best to regard it as a test, not of our power of reason but of our power of tolerance.”
On the official Thérèse blog, there's Canon Bart Nannery's homily from the welcome Mass. He tells a nice story about a BBC journalist who rang the press team, who was touched by St Thérèse's story: A snippet here:
"Yesterday, early afternoon I took a call from a member of the news team at the BBC in London who was very anxious to know what we were doing in Plymouth. He told me they were planning to highlight the visit and perhaps make a permanent record of it. My curiosity couldn’t resist asking him how familiar he was with the story of St Thérèse to which he replied: 'I never heard of her until this morning but with many of my colleagues I am bowled over by her story and the power and clarity of her message'.
"'I can see,' he said 'why her message is good news and has the power to change lives.'"
O Jesus! O my Love! each eve I come to fling
My springtide roses sweet before Thy Cross divine;
By their plucked petals fair, my hands so gladly bring,
I long to dry Thine every tear!
To scatter flowers!--that means each sacrifice:
My lightest sighs and pains, my heaviest, saddest hours,
My hopes, my joys, my prayers--I will not count the price--
Behold my flowers!
With deep untold delight Thy beauty fills my soul,
Would I might light this love in hearts of all who live!
For this, my fairest flowers, all things in my control,
How fondly, gladly would I give!
To scatter flowers!--behold my chosen sword
For saving sinners' souls and filling Heaven's bowers:
The victory is mine--yea, I disarm Thee, Lord,
With these my flowers!
The petals in their flight caress Thy Holy Face;
They tell Thee that my heart is Thine, and Thine alone.
Thou knowest what these leaves are saying in my place:
On me Thou smilest from Thy Throne.
To scatter flowers!--that means, to speak of Thee--
My only pleasure here, where tears fill all the hours;
But soon, with Angel Hosts, my spirit shall be free
To scatter flowers.
June 28, 1896
Thérèse heads from Portsmouth to Plymouth 17 September 2009
For the best and most up-to-date coverage, the official blog of the trip can be found here
Pilgrims take part in the all-night vigil at Portsmouth Cathedral Photo: catholicrelics.co.uk
At the Telegraph they are wondering about the "real" Thérèse...
And over at the Times, in a very critical piece, Matthew Parris has said that the presence of the relics of St Thérèse should be a call to arms for closet atheists.
While Christopher Howse says in the Telegraph that relics bring us closer to God
Fr Stephen Wang, who teaches at Allen Hall Seminary, has written about the visit on his blog Bridges and Tangents and links up to a series of talks he gave on the subject of Thérèse over the summer
The Priests' Secretary blog explores the importance of Thérèse for the Year for Priests
The relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux travelled through Eurotunnel and arrived in Kent today for an historic first visit to England and Wales Photo: catholicrelics.co.uk
York Minster to house bones of St Thérèse of Lisieux here.
Ruth Gledhill at the Times reports on the relic's arrival
The Independent wonders why St Thérèse's relics are such a hit
Former Prior General of the Carmelites, Fr Joseph Chalmers writes about St Thérèse as a modern saint
Bishop Malcolm MacMahon OP of Nottingham writes about the relics last year
The Little Flower will bring grace to England says Simon Caldwell
Who was "The Little Flower"? 14 September 2009
Who is the woman whom we know as the Little Flower, the Patroness of Missions and a Doctor of the Church?
The youngest of nine children, Thérèse Martin’s young life was filled with tragedies. Her mother died when she was four. Later her father suffered from mental illness after a series of strokes. He was eventually institutionalised. But during her childhood, her loving relationship with her father helped her develop her own relationship with God.
When Zelie Martin died, the family moved to Lisieux and Thérèse asked her older sister Pauline to become her surrogate mother. Pauline became a Carmelite nun, leaving the young Thérèse devastated with the sense she had lost another mother. She suffered from bouts of illness and low spirits.
But after moment of conversion on Christmas Eve of 1884, shortly before her 12th birthday, Thérèse was healed and felt a strong calling to join her sister in the Carmelite convent. Her youth proved an obstacle. She was too young, the prioress said, and refused to take her. Thérèse was determined, and went to her bishop to gain his permission. This too was denied, so she went higher and asked Pope Leo XIII in an audience during a pilgrimage to Rome.
On April 9, 1888, aged only 15, she was finally admitted into the convent, her determination and spiritual side having made an impression. Life in the convent wasn’t easy—the conditions were tough and the nuns were not always kind—but Thérèse gave it her all. It was here she developed the “Little Way” a spirituality which calls for total surrender to God’s Merciful Love. Her love of flowers, which she used to illustrate her thoughts, teaching and ideas and her hope, one day to do good from heaven, to let roses scatter down, all contributed to her name “The Little Flower”.
Often plagued by periods of darkness, the darkest one in the 18 months before her death, Thérèse also drew from a deep well of inner peace. Her death—from tuberculosis—was painful. She died on September 30 1897, only 24 years old. Her autobiography The Story of a Soul became hugely popular after her death.
She was canonised in 1925. Proclaimed a Patroness of the Missions, St Thérèse was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
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