St Therese coming to Maclean 18 Feb 2020
One of the most popular modern saints, Therese of Liseaux, is coming to Maclean in 2020 – at least her physical remains. Christmas commemorates the coming of the great Gift from heaven – the Infant Jesus. St Therese was a young disciple of the Saviour whose coming we celebrate.
The program for the visit is as follows:
Reception of Relics. 8am
Morning Prayer of the Church.
Private prayer and Individual veneration.
Holy Mass. 9am
Private prayer and individual veneration.
Farewell with guard of honour. 10.15am
Life of St Therese
Therese was born in France in 1873 third of five girls to Louis and Zelie Martin, also saints whose relics are coming to Maclean too. The death of Zelie when she was 4 years deeply scarred Therese. She faced various shortcomings before entering the monastery as a nun in their town of Liseaux. She lived a simple life in the monastery but discovered the little path to God, which she called the little way. Therese’s little way begins with the recognition of our littleness and weakness. She was ordered to write her auto-biography by her superiors, the Story
of a Soul which gives us her remarkable interior life. Therese died of tuberculosis in 1897, unknown to the world.
Relics of St Therese and St Louis & Zelie Martin
The physical remains of saints are called relics and they are respectfully preserved often in a handsome receptacle. The impulse to retain the remains of loved ones is not unknown to our culture. A mother will keep safe a lock of hair from her child or a tooth from her little one. The physical remains of a saint were once animated by a soul now in heaven. We have a connection with our older spiritual brothers and sisters. We can ask for their intercession, entrust our worries to them, especially to those whose earthly lives included trials and experiences that we have passed through.
Come and See
The visit of the Relics of St Therese, St Louis & Zelie will be a highlight in the life of our parish. Come and see and pray on this special occasion in St Mary’s Church on 18 February 2020 from 8am.