Relics of St. Therese coming here

The relics of St. Therese, which constitute half of her remains in a 300-pound silver and wood reliquary, started their "world tour" in 1995. From Oct. 26-28, they will be in the Albany Diocese.

St. Therese was born in 1873 in Alencon, France, and was just 15 years old when she entered the cloistered Carmelite convent at Lisieux. Until her death of tuberculosis at the age of 24, she worked at what she called her "little way" of serving God by performing small acts of kindness for others.

Sainthood

Two years ago, St. Therese was named the youngest "Doctor of the Church" in recognition of her holiness and the spiritual power of her writings.

The saint is known as the "little flower" for her remark that each person is a flower in God's garden, and that she believed herself to be a small one.

Relic tour

The schedule for the relics in the Albany Diocese is:

* Oct. 26: St. Joseph's Church, Troy. Prayer all day; 5 p.m. evening prayer; 7 p.m. Mass of welcome; 8:30 p.m. holy hour for vocations; 9:30 p.m. prayer all night. (Call St. Joseph's at 274-6720.)

* Oct. 27: Masses at St. Joseph's at 7, 8 and 9 a.m. Relics then move to Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Albany, for a 12:15 p.m. Mass celebrated by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, followed by varied activities. (Call Cathedral at 463-4447.)

* Oct. 28: 11 a.m. departure. One-hour visit to Carmelite Monastery, Schenectady, before relics leave the Albany Diocese for Canada.

(For the complete itinerary of St. Therese's relics, see the Society of the Little Flower's web site: www.littleflower.org.)

(10-14-99) [[In-content Ad]]