Thursday, 06 July 2023 12:03

Each week Pope Francis meets with pilgrims from around the world in St. Peter’s Square. On June 7, he acknowledged the presence of the relics of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face in St. Peter’s Square which are touring the world. Highlighting Thérèse as patroness of the missions, the pope said, “It is good that this is happening as we reflect on the passion for evangelization, on apostolic zeal. Today, then, let us allow the witness of Saint Thérèse to help us.”

The year 2023 is the 150th anniversary of the Carmelite saint’s birth and the 100th anniversary of her beatification. The pope has stated that he will dedicate an Apostolic Letter to her during this anniversary year.

During his catechesis, Pope Francis stressed the missionary spirit of Thérèse even though she never went on mission. “She recounts in her “diary” that her desire was to be a missionary, and that she wanted to be one, not just for a few years, but for the rest of her life, even until the end of the world. Thérèse was a “spiritual sister” to several missionaries. She accompanied them from her monastery with her letters, with her prayer, and by offering continuous sacrifices for them. Without being visible, she interceded for the missions, like an engine that, although hidden, gives a vehicle the power to move forward,” the pope recalled.

The pope asked rhetorically and encouraged his listeners to ask themselves the same “… where did all this zeal, this missionary strength, and this joy of interceding come from?” His answer led him to conclude that all Christians are called to be missionaries. “A missionary is also anyone who lives as an instrument of God’s love where they are. Missionaries are those who do everything so that, through their witness, their prayer, their intercession, Jesus might pass by.

He then reiterated that apostolic zeal “never works by proselytism—never—or constraint—never—but by attraction. Faith is born of attraction. One does not become Christian because they are forced by someone, but because they have been touched by love.”

The worldwide tour of the relics of Saint Teresa began in 1994, and has stopped in nearly 70 countries; the relics of Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, Thérèse’s parents, have traveled the world since 2015.

The Gothic reliquary will in Lisbon, Portugal during World Youth Day from July 25-August 6. It will also be in the Catalonian region of Spain from October 16-23, and in the Diocese of Nantes from October 30-November 13, 2023.

The Centenary reliquary has been visiting 53 dioceses in the Philippines, starting on January 2 and the visit will conclude on April 30, 2023. This is the 5th visit of the relics to that country. The reliquary will then go to the Diocese of Krakow in Poland from August 10-31.

From September 16-October 2, both the Centenary reliquary and the reliquary of Saints Louis and Zélie Martin will be at the National Shrine of St. Thérèse on the Aylesford Carmelite campus in Darien, Illinois. Both reliquaries will then be hosted by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis (Minnesota) from October 3-16, 2023.

Pope Francis Catechesis – June 7, 2023 General Audience

English: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023/documents/20230607-udienza-generale.html

 Image captions:
  1. Centenary Reliquary 
  2. Gothic Reliquary
  3. Louis and Zelie Martin Reliquary