Vigil of the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux: thousands of "little souls" venerate her in England

God is working miracles in England through the "reverse pilgrimage" of the relics of St. Therese, who died 112 years ago this evening.  Something like 6,500 "little souls" venerated the relics at the Lancaster Cathedral.  Please see the bishops' blog for the tour of the relics for powerful stories.  Commenting on the many ill and elderly who struggled through the uncertainties of rural transport to pray before the relics, the national blog of the Catholic Church adds:

"At the same time, there is a sense that Therese has acted as a catalyst, allowing Catholics the opportunity to congregate, enjoy each other’s company, pray together and to ‘be Church’ in a unique way. There is a feeling of having had the opportunity to reclaim Catholic heritage, regardless of potential misunderstanding and criticism from outsiders … and to everybody’s surprise, the result has been amazingly positive and supportive from even the most unlikely media quarters. Believers and unbelievers will be left with a memory of a very special togetherness, a moment catalysed by the bones of a young Carmelite nun who died a century ago." 

Please also see the beautiful photos and moving text from the Lancaster Cathedral blog for the visit.  The relics are now at St. Andrew's Church in Newcastle; on the feast tomorrow they will be at the Anglican Cathedral,  York  Minster.  Let's pray "that all may be one."

"Praying for Priests with St. Therese of Lisieux," by Maureen O'Riordan, published by the Catholic Truth Society in Great Britain

In honor of the Year of the Priest and the historic first visit of the relics of St. Therese to England and Wales, I wrote the booklet "Praying for Priests with St. Therese," which the Catholic Truth Society has just published in Great Britain.  Here Therese tells the story of her apostolate of prayer for priests, and we read excerpts from her letters to seminarian Maurice Belliere and mission priest Adolphe Roulland, the two young men to whom she was a "spiritual sister."  The booklet includes an apostolic novena to St. Therese composed of excerpts from her letters to her two priest-brothers.  This novena may be offered for any intention.  This booklet is an easy way to read the most powerful excerpts of her inspiring letters to the two young men.

From the cover:

"St. Therese of Lisieux loved the priesthood and consecrated herself for priests, calling herself "an apostle to apostles."  She did not pray for priests for their sake only, but out of love for the souls they were to serve.  She prayed for the priest in solidarity with Jesus in the Eucharist, with Mary, with the Church, and with the world, and offered her life for their apostolic ministry.  In this Year for Priests, Therese can lead us to share in this work of prayer by means of the special Novena for Priests included here, composed entirely of excerpts from the critical edition of her letters to a priest and a seminarian."

To order it, click on the image above.  You can purchase it online; it will be shipped to you from England.

"Relic of St. Therese in outer space"

At the request of the Carmelite nuns of New Caney, Texas, an astronaut carried the relic of St. Therese into outer space this year, where it orbited the earth for 14 days.