A salute to the Little Flower

A special event is approaching for Paisley’s Roman Catholic faithful.

Relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux will be put on display at St Mirin’s Cathedral next month.

Known as The Little Flower, St Thérèse died in her early twenties after a short life as a cloistered Carmelite nun.

She never left her convent, but kept a diary as the “story of her soul”, which was published after she died.

Within two decades Catholics around the world became devoted and she was canonized as one of the most popular saints in the history of the Church, acclaimed by Pope Pius X as the greatest saint of modern times.

Rt Rev John Keenan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Paisley, said: “I am delighted we are welcoming to Scotland the Relics of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, The Little Flower, this September and October, which Pope Francis has declared an Extraordinary Missionary Month across the world.”

He added: “I am sure the pilgrimage around our Scottish dioceses of this ordinary little saint will bring many extraordinary graces to our Catholic population, to our parishes and dioceses, and to the whole nation of Scotland and I encourage everyone of you to make your own personal pilgrimage to the relics, assured of many blessings.”

The relics will arrive at the cathedral at 11.30am on Sunday, September 15, following which there will be a procession and Mass.

Public veneration of the relics will take place at 1.30pm. There will be a Mass for Primary 7 children at 10am on Monday, September 16.

A farewell ceremony for the relics will take place at 1pm.

At 1.30pm they will leave for Barlinnie Prison, Glasgow.