Why England and Wales now?
On this page we would like to explain in greater depth why St. Thérèse’s relics have been invited to England and Wales in 2009.
What is it all about?
The purpose of the visit is to deepen our relationship with God and each other. Catholics believe in something called the “Communion of Saints”, which means that holy people who have died and are now in heaven can be experienced as caring for us and helping us by their prayers. We, in our turn, show our thankfulness to God for giving them to us by honouring them and asking them to pray for us.
A new outreach
It is our experience as Catholics that when this sense of the Communion of Saints is deepened, we also find a new energy to go out and share our faith with others. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 850) says: “The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make people share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love."
St. Thérèse is a much loved saint whose example of faith and love and whose prayers can help us to do this in a very practical way.
Things we can see and touch
As Catholics we believe that the invisible God became visible in Jesus Christ. He had a body which could be touched and seen, and which could suffer and die. Further, he left us the sacraments as very tangible means of experiencing his presence and power.
This is particularly important in a culture like ours which places such stress on the visual and tangible, and it suggests that that relics can help us to draw close to God with our hearts and bodies as well as our heads, and thus strengthen our faith in the invisible, rather as a favourite piece of clothing or object belonging to a deceased loved one can help us feel close to them.
St. Thérèse can teach us a great deal
In 1997, the centenary of her death, Pope John Paul II proclaimed St. Thérèse one of the “Doctors of the Church.” There are currently 33 Doctors of the Church, of whom only three are women, saints whose message is seen by the Church as having a special and universal importance.
Some of the things we can learn from St. Thérèse’s life and teaching are:
- We can and should all desire to be holy, which means placing love at the heart of all things
- Prayer is the most important activity of our lives, and it can be greatly helped by a love for Scripture. We need to persevere in faith through times of darkness in prayer.
- Family life can be seen as a school of charity, and has a special role in helping us find our vocation.
- As official “Patroness of the Missions” for the Catholic Church worldwide, St. Thérèse can help us experience that new ardour for a new evangelisation of which Pope John Paul II spoke so frequently.
All are welcome!
- In a nutshell, the visit of the relics is for everyone. For a mention of some specific groups who may find it particularly helpful, click here.