St. Thérèse 'provides a light' for today's world, says Michigan rector ahead of relics tour

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (OSV News) -- The National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak will host the major relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Oct. 1-8 as part of a national tour.

The shrine was the first parish in the United States to be named for St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897). It was established in 1925, shortly after St. Thérèse -- popularly known as the Little Flower -- was canonized, making it the ideal location to kick off the national tour.

The Royal Oak basilica already houses smaller relics of St. Thérèse, along with relics of her parents, Sts. Louis and Marie-Azelie Martin. But the last time St. Thérèse's body -- the reliquary contains most of her bones -- was at the National Shrine of the Little Flower was 1999, before the shrine was declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

Father John Bettin, the basilica's rector, said St. Thérèse is among the most popularly venerated saints today, with millions devoted to her spirituality of the "Little Way." The opportunity to venerate her relics is a chance to connect to the saint, he said.

"I think the thing that touches people regarding St. Thérèse's spirituality is that it's very simple in a good sense," Father Bettin told Detroit Catholic, the news outlet of the Detroit Archdiocese. "It's easy to follow, and basically one of the most popular models and expressions of her spirituality is showing God's great love in little ways in the everyday life of a Christian."

The relics' visit will begin with Mass at 3 p.m. Oct. 1, the feast of St. Thérèse. It will be the first of 23 Masses to be celebrated at the basilica throughout the eight days, with times for veneration taking place between Masses.

After Michigan, the stops on the national tour, which ends Dec. 8, include: 10 dioceses in California, Oct. 10-30; San Antonio and several Carmels in the South, Oct. 31-Nov. 14; Holy Hill, Wisconsin, Nov. 15-18; Washington, D.C., and environs, Nov. 19-30; Miami, Dec. 1-8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

For planning purposes, the shrine parish in Royal Oak is asking people planning to attend to sign up for a specific Mass or veneration time.

"The reason why we have registration, even for parishioners, is mainly for us to know how many volunteers we can expect at each Mass and each time for veneration," Father Bettin said. "There's going to be plenty of space; we'll even have additional seats if the church is full, so even if someone doesn't register, they should still come; we're just trying to gauge how many volunteers we will need during each time period."

The relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux went on a national tour three years ago and didn't visit Royal Oak. Father Bettin expects the shrine to get plenty of visitors for its stop this year.

"We're absolutely excited and can feel the excitement growing, especially here at Shrine of the Little Flower because she is our patroness, but we can also feel the excitement going throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit and even beyond," the priest said. "Every time I'm out with other priests, they seem really excited about it."

The relic visit is also a chance for the church to explain the faithful's relationship with relics, Father Bettin said.

"When we say we venerate relics, we don't praise or worship relics; we're honoring the saint," Father Bettin said. "Because of the life of virtue that they led, they provide a beautiful model and example for us to model our own lives after.

"So as the people approach the reliquary that contains the relics, they will be allowed to touch the reliquary or place an object, such as a rosary or a prayer card, to the reliquary so that it becomes a third-class relic."

The body part of a saint is considered a first-class relic, while an object the saint owned or used in life is considered a second-class relic. An object touched to a first- or second-class relic becomes a third-class relic, Father Bettin explained.

He noted that the relics' visit is especially appropriate as the shrine parish celebrates a century of faith.

"It holds more prominence here at the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, because she is our namesake -- we're the national shrine for the devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, in addition to being a minor basilica, so we welcome all visitors to come to our church and just be surrounded by the church and this devotion to the Little Way," Father Bettin said.

"Especially in this Jubilee Year of Hope," he added, "St. Thérèse is a model for Christian life and virtue in what many times can feel like a dark world. St. Thérèse provides a light."