2002

11th April 2002
Hunter Visit of Saint's Relics Offers Hope in a Troubled World
The relics of one of the greatest saints of modern times, French-born Therese Martin, will arrive in the Hunter next week as part of a world-wide pilgrimage.

From Thursday April 18 to Saturday April 20, the parish of St Therese, New Lambton will be the only parish in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle to host the relics.

"The visit of the relics of St Therese of Lisieux provides us with an opportunity to highlight and reflect on the spirit of a remarkable young woman", said Bishop Michael Malone.

"Like many saints and holy people, St Therese offers an urgent message of love and hope in the face of so much meaninglessness, suffering, despair, conflict and violence.

"This pilgrimage has the potential to reach many in our communities who are searching for meaning in a fragile and fragmented world."

Echoing Bishop Malone's sentiments, Fr Geoff Mulhearn, New Lambton Parish Priest, hopes that those who participate in the visit will be encouraged by the example of Therese. "Like many people today she faced and struggled with trials of faith but paradoxically it was that same faith that sustained her."

Before Therese died, she expressed the wish to 'preach the Gospel on all five continents. Bishop Malone says: "That wish is now being fulfilled in an interesting way a century after her death."

Bishop Malone acknowledged that some people might have problems with venerating the relics of people who have died, "but in the context of the Church, it is an opportunity to remember the fine example of Christian living which these people have left us, so that they can be a model for our own Christian living. I pray that those who participate in this pilgrimage will be inspired to live the Gospel in small but powerful ways."

After a brief, but well documented life (1873-1897), Therese died from tuberculosis at the age of 24 in the Carmelite Convent she had entered at 15. She is often the object of excessively sentimental devotion and yet she is also recognised for her clear, accessible writings, encouraging people to pursue their faith in daily acts to do 'little things for God with great fidelity'.

Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, published a year after her death, has sold millions of copies and has been translated into more than 50 languages.

Therese was canonised in 1925, less than 30 years after her death. She was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997, the centenary of her death, recognising her status as a significant teacher of the faith - one of only three women to receive the honour. St Therese's relics, contained in an ornate jacaranda wood and silver reliquary - resembling a model church inside a glass case - arrived in Australia on January 31 and will leave Australia on May 1.

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