St.Thérèse's relics returns to Ireland

The relics of for St.Thérèse of Lisieux arrive in the diocese of Ferns today, Sunday 1st March 2009. This begins a tour that will go to many churches not previously visited during the last visit in 2001, and which will culminate in the St.Thérèse National Day at Knock on Monday 4th May (public holiday).

Fr J. Linus Ryan told ciNews it is marvelous to have the relics of St.Thérèse back in Ireland again.

“As it happens it coincides with a low period in the Irish psyche, we hadn’t planned it that way, but maybe Thérèse planned it that way - to be with us at a difficult moment. It is turning out to be a very difficult moment for an awful lot of people who are falling into unemployment. The recession is biting in so many new ways - a generation of people who never saw want, now find themselves out of jobs, out of money and even the horrible prospect of having to emigrate,” says Fr Ryan. “The theme of the visit is taken from a poem of for St.Thérèse called Living on Love and in that she talks about her own life - sowing peace and joy in every heart.”

Arriving in Rosslare at 2pm today, the relics will go to Enniscorthy, where they will be received at St Aidan’s Cathedral at 4pm. Visitation to the reliquary will commence around 5pm. The clergy and people of St Aidan’s extend an invitation to people from all over the diocese to venerate the relics either today or tomorrow Monday 2nd. At 7pm that day there will be concelebrated Mass with the chief celebrant Bishop Denis Brennan after which the relics will depart from Enniscorthy and continue on to Dublin.

This trip will differ from the previous one in that there will be longer stays of up to a week in many places. For example during March the relics will be at the Carmelite Church in Whitefriar Street, Dublin for over a week and at the Carmelite Convent ‘Hampton’, Drumcondra for a week. Stays in Moate, Co Westmeath and Roebuck in Dublin will complete March.

During April the relics will be in Dublin Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, Abbeylara, Co Longford, Loughrea, Co Galway, Delganey, Co Wicklow, and Newry, Co Down as well as in Kildare, Macroom, Killarney and  Dublin. Given that St Thérèse grandfathers were both army men the relics will be given full military honours in Kildare.

Nearing the conclusion of the visit the relics will be present for St.Thérèse National Day at Knock on Monday 4th May. His Excellency Archbishop Thomas White, D.D., DCL., Apostolic Nuncio will lead a solemn concelebrated Mass at 3.00pm in Knock, during which Fr David Weakliam, O.Carm, will preach on St.Thérèse.There will also be Annointing of the Sick and the Solemn Blessing of Roses.

The last stop is in Letterkenny and the relics will depart Ireland on 10 May.

For further details: www.sttherese.com