Before 10 a.m. Mass began at Christ the King Church in Little Rock Nov. 8, a line trailing out the door had already formed with people eager to see the reliquary holding the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
Pastor Father Juan Guido told those gathered that 90 percent of the bones of the “Little Flower” were resting in the reliquary, an ornate chest adorned with wood-carved flowers.
The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was part of the 2025 Jubilee Year celebration, as the saint’s relics have been traveling across the world. St. Thérèse arrived the night before and stayed at the Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus in Little Rock, where the Carmelites spent the night praying with her before she was moved to Christ the King early in the morning.
The day opened with a standing-room-only Mass celebrated by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor and dozens of priests. The parish was open all day for pilgrims to visit St. Thérèse before the bishop celebrated the closing Mass at 5 p.m. Father Guido said 1,630 attended the Masses, with a total of 4,000 people visiting the parish.
St. Thérèse was a French Discalced Carmelite who lived from 1873 to 1897. Despite her youth, she had a rich faith and spiritual life, overcoming obstacles to enter the convent at 15. She is often referred to as “Little Flower of Jesus,” “St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus,” and, more simply, the “Little Flower.”
When she fell ill, St. Thérèse wrote about her rich faith life and life at the convent after the encouragement of her prioress and sister. The book would go on to become her autobiography called “The Story of a Soul,” in which she explained her spiritual practice of the “Little Way.”
St. Thérèse died Sept. 30, 1897, at the age of 24 from tuberculosis.
She was canonized by Pope Pius XI just 28 years after her death. In 1997, 100 years after she died, St. John Paul II named her a doctor of the Church. Her feast day is celebrated Oct. 1.
In his homily, Bishop Taylor said it is important to venerate saints — not worship them.
“Why do we venerate the relics of saints?” he asked. “We have first-class relics, like part of a saint’s body, which we have here, or a second-class relic of clothing the saint had worn, or something that they used while in life. Or a third-class relic, which is something that came in contact with a first or second-class relic.
“But why do we venerate them? We honor them, because we honor that saint’s fidelity to Christ and his or her imitation of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice in the Mass. … Even so, the Church is clear that we honor and venerate the saints and their relics, but we do not worship them. To the contrary, the saints need us to have fuller worship in God, and in spirit and truth. By telling their stories and by honoring their bodies and their belongings, we give thanks to God for the witness of the saints.”
After Mass, Sister Cecilia Chun, prioress of the Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus, said she never expected to have the opportunity to pray with St. Thérèse.
“When she first arrived at our monastery, I told her, ‘Oh, welcome, Thérèse,’ because she is our sister. I just felt her presence, like she was smiling,” she said. “We had special, private prayer with her as a community. She’s a great Doctor of the Church, a saint in the Church, but she’s also a dear, dear sister. And to pray together with her — I never thought that Thérèse would come to Little Rock.”
Gayle Priddy, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock, said it was her first Mass with the relics of a saint.
“I found the Mass and veneration of St. Thérèse’s relics very spiritual, and upon placing my hand (on the protective case over the reliquary), I felt a quietness, stillness, peaceful,” she said. “Even being in the presence of so many, it was as if I was alone, no noise.”
Neal Reeves, a parishioner at Christ the King Church in Little Rock who is currently in diaconate formation, called the experience “humbling.”
“It was humbling to reflect on the fact that for a state that has a relatively small Catholic population, we were able to be in the presence of the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux,” he said. “Her ‘Little Way’ is a great reminder that holiness is found in ordinary things we do in life that honor God. Hopefully, we all can see that we can make a difference with the little things we do in life through loving others.”
Reeves’ wife, Robyn, felt “in awe and deeply moved” at the opportunity to venerate the relics.
“To be able to stand so near to a saint whose ‘Little Way’ inspires so many hearts reminded me of the beauty of simplicity, trust and love in our walk with God,” she said. “It felt as if there was a profound peace in the air at Mass, which made it seem more special. It was a blessing and a gift to be part of such a sacred moment.”
Madeline Heinz, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock who recently converted to Catholicism, was thankful for the unique opportunity.
“It’s so special that as Catholics, we can tangibly interact with our faith. Relics help us to better understand that the saints were real people too, not just mythical figures of the past,” she said. “St. Thérèse makes the call for us all to become saints even more ordinary and approachable through her ‘Little Way.’”
