Relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Manila

It’s the turn of the Archdiocese of Manila to be visited by the pilgrim relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Popularly known as “The Little Flower,” the pilgrim relics of St. Therese will be brought to the archdiocese today, Sunday, February 18.

The relics are the material remains of saints or holy persons after their death, as well as objects sanctified by contact with their body.

The Catholic Church employs the word to distinguish the body or whatever remains of a holy person after death, as well as objects that had an actual contact with saint’s body during his or her lifetime.

The reliquary of St. Therese that travels around the world (Pilgrim Relics) is originally called the Centennial Reliquary, as this was made during the centenary of her death, 1997.

It is made from precious tropical scented jacaranda hardwood from South America.

The main case of the relics, which is inserted into this reliquary, is a solid silver case, dipped in gold.

The pilgrim relics will arrive at the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Parish in Paco at 8 a.m. from the Diocese of Cubao.

At 10a.m. it will be transferred to the San Fernando De Dilao Parish also in Paco and will stay there until 5:45 p.m.

It will then brought to the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros where it will stay until 12:45 p.m. on Monday.

The Manila Cathedral said those will attend the Mass will be given a rose and a copy of the Novena booklet of St. Therese.

It added that the cathedral will remain open all night until the following day for those who may want to pray and keep vigil in the presence of the Little Flower.

Born in France in 1873, Saint Therese of the Child Jesus has been a highly influential model of sanctity for Catholics because of the simplicity and practicality of her approach to the spiritual life.

She felt an early call to religious life and at the age of 15, became a nun in the cloistered Carmelite community of Lisieux, Normandy in 1888.

After nine years as a Carmelite religious, having fulfilled various offices such as sacristan and assistant to the novice mistress, and having spent her last 18 months in Carmel in a night of faith, she died of tuberculosis at the age of 24.

Thérèse is well known throughout the world, with the Basilica of Lisieux being the second-largest place of pilgrimage in France after Lourdes.

Much of the information about St. Therese is from a collection of her autobiographical manuscripts, The Story of a Soul.

She was beatified on April 29, 1923 and canonized on May 17, 1925, by Pope Pius XI, only 28 years after her death.

Saint Therese is one of the patron saints of the missions and co-patron of France. Her feast day is celebrated on October 1.