National tour of the major relics of the ‘Little Flower’ to stop at namesake parish in Royal Oak Oct. 1-8, the first visit since 1999
ROYAL OAK — The National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak will host the major relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux as part of a national tour Oct. 1-8.
Shrine was the first parish in the United States named for St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897) in 1925, shortly after St. Thérèse was canonized, making it the ideal location to kick off the national tour.
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The Royal Oak basilica already houses smaller relics of St. Thérèse, along with 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.
Fr. 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,” Fr. Bettin told Detroit Catholic. “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. on Wednesday, Oct. 1, the first of 23 Masses celebrated at the basilica throughout the eight days, with times for veneration taking place between Masses.
Visitors can check out the full schedule at shrinechurch.com/relics. For planning purposes, the parish 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,” Fr. 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. This year’s stop at Shrine is the only stop in the Midwest, so Fr. Bettin expects the Shrine to get plenty of visitors.
“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,” Fr. Bettin 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, Fr. Bettin said.
“When we say we venerate relics, we don’t praise or worship relics; we’re honoring the saint,” Fr. 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, Fr. Bettin explained.
Fr. Bettin said the relics’ visit is more than appropriate as the parish celebrates a century of faith on the corner of Woodward and 12 Mile.
“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,” Fr. Bettin said. “Especially in this Jubilee Year of Hope, 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.”
