April 29, 2023, marked the centennial of the beatification of St. Thérèse of Lisieux was celebrated.
Newsroom (May 1, 2023, Gaudium Press) On April 28, 29 and 30, 2023, the Shrine of Lisieux commemorated the 100th anniversary of the beatification of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Masses and processions with the relics occurred in the basilica and Carmel.
After commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Therese Martin (1873-1897) on January 2, 2023, and launching a jubilee year on January 8 that will run until January 7, 2024, with the theme: “With Therese, let us open our door to Christ,” the Shrine of Lisieux is celebrating the centennial of her beatification, that is, her elevation to the category of “blessed.” This declaration, pronounced in 1923 under pontifical authority, means that Therese Martin exercised her faith in an exemplary way.
There were three days of celebrations in Lisieux, beginning April 28th, with an exhibition dedicated to St. Therese and a concert with poems written by the Carmelite.
On Saturday the 29th, in the morning, there was a talk on the teachings of St. Thérèse. Subsequently, the opening mass was held in Carmel, in the city’s center. The relics of the Carmelite saint then went to the basilica. Mass and religious chants occupied the rest of the afternoon, and the evening culminated in a fireworks launch in the Basilica square.
On Sunday, after the Eucharistic Celebration in the basilica at 10:30, the relics began their journey back to Carmel at 3:30.
The most published woman in the world
What sets St. Thérèse apart is her great universality. There is no cultural barrier that prevents people from opening up to who she is,” notes Father Thierry Hénault-Morel, rector of the shrine in Alençon. For him, Therese is “universally received as someone accessible.” And if Saint Therese is known worldwide, it is thanks to the example of her life and to her writings. Her memoirs, published under the title “Histoire d’une âme” (History of a Soul) shortly after her death, immediately had a worldwide impact. The book has sold more than 500 million copies. Therese is the most published woman in the world,” says Sonia Dumesnil, in charge of the Jubilee year at the shrine in Lisieux.
Phrases of St. Therese of the Child Jesus
“Joy is in the depths of the soul, it can be obtained as much in a dark prison as in a palace.”
“I would like to proclaim the Gospel in the five parts of the world and even on the most remote islands.”
“I only suffer for a moment. It is because we think about the past and the future that we become discouraged and despair.”
“To love is to give everything and to give yourself away.”
“Just whisper his name and Jesus will understand.”
“To live by love is to give without measure.”
Compiled by Sarah Gangl
