Dear 

I apologize wholeheartedly for my long silence.  Unless you've subscribed to my "Philadelphia Events" mailing list, you have not received this newsletter since October 1, 2013!  This was not by design.  The unexpected blessing of the gift of the reliquary of the Martin Family, which contains significant relics of St. Therese and of Blessed Louis and Zelie, brought me much work centered on Philadelphia.  Although I did add many new jewels to the Web site, I could not get a single general newsletter out.  I apologize, in particular, to everyone who has subscribed since the last issue and received nothing till now.  Thank you for your forgiveness.
 

In this special issue please accept, as a new feast-day gift, a souvenir of St. therese's First Communion.  To atone for my long silence, I've added some of the best articles from October 2013 through May 2014.  I hope soon to present another "catch-up" issue with items from June through October 2014.

Please also look for a special issue about Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin.
 

In union of prayer and gratitude,

Maureen O'Riordan

One of my most exciting finds ever: a series of four articles about Therese's school days, commissioned by The Far East (a magazine of the Columban Missionaries) for the 50th anniversary of St. Therese's First Communion in 1934.  I had known that the communicants spent the whole day at the Abbey, but had never till now found the exact schedule they followed.  Walk with Therese step by step on her First Communion Day in this astonishingly detailed account, unseen for 80 years.  Fervent thanks to the Columban Missionaries. 

The Carmelites of Lisieux and the Association of the Friends of St. Therese and of her Carmel have produced in English, on the Carmel's community Web site, half a dozen short films (two to four minutes each) which, taken together, constitute a "virtual pilgrimage" to the Carmel.  Enter the monastery with Therese; pray in the choir with the nuns; visit the courtyard, the recreation room, Therese's last cell, and the infirmary where she died.  This virtual pilgrimage has brought joy to many lovers of St. Therese already.  I congratulate the Carmel of Lisieux for making them available on the Internet for anyone to see and for its generosity in producing English versions. Visit the Carmel! /entrance.html

On November 9, 2013, the Magnificat Foundation sponsored its second "Day of Faith," this one in my home city of Philadelphia.  For this occasion, the Foundation commissioned French sculptor Fleur Nabert to design and create a beautiful "family reliquary" to house relics of the Martin family.  The outgoing rector of the Shrine at Lisieux, Mgr. Bernard Lagoutte, graciously presented us with significant relics of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, and the Carmelites of Lisieux generously contributed significant relics of St. Therese.  The reliquary was venerated at the Magnificat Day of Faith and carried in procession to the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, where pilgrims venerated it for a week.  The Archdiocese entrusted the reliquary to the Discalced Carmelite nuns of Philadelphia.  I had the honor of accompanying Mgr Lagoutte and the new rector of the Shrine at Lisieux, Father Olivier Ruffray, to the monastery, where they celebrated Mass and saw the reliquary's new home.  Because the Philadelphia Carmel was the "gateway" through which St. Therese became known in the United States from the day of its foundation in 1902, it's an especially fitting choice.

Since then, the Carmelites have generously opened their chapel on the first Sunday of every month so that pilgrims may pray in the presence of the relics.  I have had the joy of giving conferences about the spirituality of Louis and Zelie.  At the October 5 day of prayer, I will speak on "A Map of the Way of Confidence and Love of St. Therese of Lisieux" (see below). 

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 3:30 p.m.
 

In November 2014 the reliquary of the Martin family will make a brief pilgrimage to the diocese of Memphis, Tennessee, where it will be venerated at the third Magnificat Day of Faith on Saturday, November 1, 2014, the feast of All Saints.  Please tell your friends in the South, and please pray that St. Therese and Bl. Louis and Zelie will obtain from God many graces for all who are present at the Day of Faith.

Father Ruffray, the rector of the Shrine at Lisieux, kindly permitted me to translate and post this article, which appeared in the May 2014 issue of Therese de Lisieux, a publication of the Shrine at Lisieux.  See also my April 26, 2014 article about the new saint-popes as the friends of Therese

Please see my article about St. Therese and Pope Paul VI, who was baptized on the day St. Therese died, September 30, 1897.  It explores his lifelong synergy with St. Therese. 

By declaring Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Siena the first women doctors of the Church, Pope Paul VI opened the way for his successor to name St. Therese a Doctor of the Church in 1997.