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Greetings!
This is a special issue with the marvelous news that the relics of St. Therese and of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin arrive in Philadelphia, my home city, in November. May they be a channel of grace.
I hope to have more news soon about this event. Several other exciting programs will become public soon, so please allow me to send the news as soon as it's released even if the newsletter departs from its usual more or less monthly schedule.
with good wishes and prayer,s
Maureen O'Riordan
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Relics of St. Therese of Lisieux and
of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin
given to Philadelphia
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 | | Blessed Zelie and Louis Martin |
I am delighted to announce that the Shrine at Lisieux is presenting the Archdiocese of Philadelphia with a permanent gift of a new reliquary containing the relics of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin and of their famous daughter, St. Therese of Lisieux.
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Where and when to pray
in the presence of the relics of St. Therese
and of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin
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 | Reliquary of Louis and Zelie Martin
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Listen carefully, for you have five chances to venerate the relics in November over two weekends. The first chance is only for those who participate in the Magnificat Day of Faith. All the other chances are open to the public. |
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First Chance - at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Saturday, November 9
| The relics will be exposed for veneration in Philadelphia for the first time on Saturday, November 9, 2013 as part of the Magnificat Day of Faith, which will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center to complete the Year of Faith. To attend the Magnificat Day of Faith, one must register in advance and pay a fee. The chance to venerate the relics in the chapel at the Convention Center during the Magnificat Day of Faith is limited to those who register and attend the Day of Faith.
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Second Chance - a Eucharistic procession and at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in the evening of Saturday, November 9
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Therese sent her gold bracelet to form part of this monstrance, made for the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Montmartre in Paris. Photo courtesy of the Basilique du Sacre Coeur.
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To close the Magnificat Day of Faith, the Blessed Sacrament will be carried in procession from the Pennsylvania Convention Center to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. The relics of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin and of St. Therese will be carried in the procession. Anyone not able to attend the Magnificat Day is welcome to join the procession, which will leave from the Pennsylvania Convention Center at 5:20 p.m. The procession will conclude with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in front of the Cathedral at 5:45 p.m. The reliquary will be brought into the Cathedral, which will be open for the public to venerate the relics throughout the evening. The closing time has not been announced; stay tuned. |
Third Chance - at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul all day Sunday, November 10
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The relics of St. Therese of Lisieux and of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin will be available for veneration in the Cathedral all day on Sunday, November 10. The closing time has not been announced; stay tuned.
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Fourth Chance - at the Carmelite Monastery in Philadelphia on the next Saturday, November 16
| The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has generously given the relics to the Carmelite Monastery, which was the cradle of devotion to St. Therese in the United States. The solemn transfer of the relics from the Cathedral Basilica to the Carmelite Monastery will take place on Saturday, November 10 at 2:30 p.m. Holy Mass will be celebrated at the Carmelite Monastery at 5:00 p.m.
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Fifth Chance - at the Carmelite Monastery in Philadelphia on Sunday, November 17
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In thanksgiving and welcome, the public may venerate the relics in the Carmelite chapel on Sunday, November 17th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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Pray in the presence of the relics on the first Sunday of every month in the chapel of the Carmel
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Starting December 1, the relics will be available for veneration in the Carmelite chapel on the first Sunday of every month from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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Why "venerate" relics of holy persons?
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Crowds venerate the reliquary of Louis and Zelie Martin on the beatification day, October 19, 2008
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An answer excerpted from "Understanding Therese's Relics," by Father Raymond Zambelli, former rector of the shrine at Lisieux:
The saints' relics are poor and fragile signs of what went to make up their bodies. When we are close to their relics we can more easily evoke their human condition: that with their own bodies they acted, thought worked, and suffered.
At times God wishes to use such tenuous and seemingly foolish signs to manifest his presence and make his power and glory shine forth. It is God in fact who works through these signs. . . .
To return to Thérèse's case, it is a fact that when people stand in the presence of her mortal remains or have some contact with her poor relics, as with petals from an unpetalled rose, God, who received through her humanity so many signs of love, is pleased in turn to manifest his love through her bodily remains. [courtesy of Americancatholic.org]
To "venerate" the relics of a person is not to worship her or him, but to pray to God, as we do at the grave of a loved one, in the presence of what remains of the humanity of our sisters and brothers who loved God so much in that humanity. Come to pray for yourself, for your spouse, parents, children, family, friends, and enemies. Pray for the poor, the sick, the dying, and for your beloved dead. For those who mourn, as the Martin family did; for those whose children died young; for those who suffer from breast cancer like Zelie and from Alzheimer's like Louis. Pray in thanksgiving for all the graces you have received. Pray, like Therese, for and with those who have no faith. And pray for the grace to imitate the faith and abandonment that brought Louis and Zelie and Therese to such complete union with God. Praying in the presence of the relics of the Martin family is a doorway to a deeper and more profound experience of the communion of saints.
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Spread the word
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This is a unique opportunity to recall the "living memory" of the Martin family and to seek their intercession. We are blessed to have this sign of grace in the United States.
Please help me spread the word.
Thank you.
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