The relics of St Thérèse arrived in England today. There is a dedicated page with good information at the CBCEW website: Relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux and the Catholic Herald has a portal with information about the visit.The relics are coming to the Archdiocese of Southwark from 9-11 October at Aylesford Priory. Some parishioners of mine are taking part in the veneration first thing on the Saturday morning and we will have a good group going for other parts of the day.
This devotion has really caught on in a big way with very positive results. There is already a strong devotion to St Thérèse in England and the tour of her relics will help people to understand the importance of the veneration of relics, getting rid of some of the silly scruples about relics that have affected people over recent years. The Little Way of St Thérèse with its unthreatening but also uncompromising fidelity will help many to return to those devotions that are so helpful to the Christian faithful.
Well - time to read the autobiography yet again...
11 comments:
How wonderful! May the dear Therese bless England (the Dowry of our Lady) with an increase of faith in the Holy Catholic Church!
I love both St. Therese and England (the land of my ancestors).
I remember her relics coming here to Australia. They certainly had a very big impact amongst Catholics here.
JARay
I was in the welcoming party so to speak yesterday at Portsmouth Cathedral. Thousands turned up and it got coverage on the TV staion South Today. Hopefully as she travels around more TV publicity will follow her. That thousands turned up was rather a shock to me and shows the determination of this saint to make an impact on England. In my joy I almost compared her coming to that of St Augustine. Let us pray for this most unusual evangelisation programme planned not on earth but in heaven.
The relics were at Portsmouth cathedral yesterday,and left this morning.The cathedral was open all night for prayer.Local t.v. cameras were there,and the cathedral was heaving with people.Queues for veneration stretched all the way down the cathedral to outside,and we all had to be patient.Worth the wait and the crowds, of course,a wonderful witness to the Faith.Thank you St Therese.
We have long had a special devotion and love for St Therese, even naming our house 'Littleway'.
Last year we found and bought a second hand relic, some fabric from the blanket which St Therese used set in a silver theca itself set in a monstrance style stand. It comes certificated and is 100% genuine.
It takes pride of place on our mantlepiece in the living room next to our olivewood statue of Our Blessed Lady exquisitely carved by Catholic craftsmen from Bethlehem, still struggling to eke out a living in the Holy Land.
Our family Rosary and evening prayers are said in front of this little 'Shrine' which also includes a marble statue of the Holy family and an antique bronze and gilded figure of the Infant of Prague. A lit candle and dimmed lighting set the scene for what we always hope to be prayers said with as much devotion as possible - except when our three year old grandson joins us and starts to put extra Rosaries around everyones necks, which always gets my younger girls giggling. I console myself, in between smiles, by remembering someone elses wise words, "the only bad Rosary is the one that is never said".
St Therese pray for us and shower us with petals from heaven.
Father, how about 'Story of a Love'? It's the correspondence between Therese and Maurice (the seminarian who wrote to the convent asking a nun to pray for him). It's so great I've come out of hibernation to post on it!
'second hand relic'..... Oooops!
That should read 'second class relic'.
Sorry St Therese.
We were also fortunate to see the relics quite by chance at Chatswood in Australis a good few years ago.
The relics have just left St Teresa's church in Taunton, after a visit of about 20 hours.
It was a wonderful experience. Although we didn't have 15,000 visitors like Portsmouth Cathedral (fortunately - our little parish church couldn't have coped) the Litle Flower has touched hundreds more lives here.
Helping to bear the reliquary into and out of the church is a privilege I will always remember.
I am so happy to hear these reports.
May St. Therese bless all of you in England, especially those "who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love" the Lord.
My prayers during this time of grace.
Dear Father Finigan
The relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux will be visiting 28 venues including Wormwood Scrubs.
This morning I took Holy Communion at Our Lady of the Angels here in the London Borough of Bexley where you are the RC Dean.
Last Monday I visited the London Civil Rights and Arts Centre to present them with my individual FOOTBALL AGAINST RACISM IN EUROPE (fare)1991-2009 Arts lift update which had been forwarded by Marc Schwinges of the South African Screen Federation to former BBC Black Britain film producer Faith Isiakpere. I also did the same when I visited St Andrew Holborn C of E, which is one of OPEN HOUSE venues housing Jack Tan's contemporary art exhibition MILESTONE.
In 1991 I made a conscious decision to protest against NF/BNP neo-Nazi entry-ism into London's Sporting/Planning Arena at the Old Addeyans FC/Densitron International plc development here in South East London. That decision to challenge acceptance of fascist "blood money" led to my imprisonment in HMP Belmarsh where I sang 'Gaudete' solo in my best Latin for all the inmates one Sunday morning after taking Holy Communion at the Catholic Mass.
After this morning's Mass for St Matthew at Our Lady of the Angels we discussed the "visit of St Thérèse relics" , and I asked Brother Michael and the Capuchin Franciscan Friary in Erith to pray for the MILESTONE exhibition 17th September 2009 - 15th October 2009. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the publication of the Macpherson Inquiry report into the police handling of the Stephen Lawrence case. The MILESTONE exhibition spans two locations, the Stephen Lawrence Gallery in Greenwich, and St. Andrew Holborn, a C of E Guild Church dedicated to the working population of the surrounding area.
It may well be the 10th anniversary since publication of the Macpherson Inquiry report, but it is 18 years since two not guilty verdicts were given to me by the jury and Judge Smith in the neo-Fascist prosecution Regina v Hobson 1991 that was produced by CID Greenwich to support NF/BNP entry-ism in London's Sporting/Planning Arena at the Old Addeyans FC/Densitron International plc development in 'Deep South' East London, and it is 16 years since Stephen Lawrence was butchered on the streets in the London Borough of Greenwich.
I consider both cases to be examples of ongoing failures by the English justice system as the FOOTBALL AGAINST RACISM IN EUROPE (fare) content of the Regina v Hobson 1991 trial manuscript has been buried, and Stephen Lawrence's killers have never been convicted.
Our Lady of the Rosary pray for us in BNP leader Nick Griffin MEP's EU/GLA/LDA/ODA NEO-NAZI DEVELOPMENT TIMES Amen
Yours sincerely
Roy Hobson aka Our Lady's Vesper ON-LINE +
More From:www.spreadtheword.org.uk 's cityofsharedstories YouTube - Roy Hobson (From Dark to Light Too)
8 Badlow Close,
Erith,
Kent DA8 3SA
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