Remains of Saint visit Walsingham

This is the first time that the remains Saint Therese have visited the UK

The remains of Saint Therese of Liseux are visiting the Roman Catholic Shrine at Walsingham.

Described by Pope Pius X as "the greatest saint of modern times", this is the first time her remains have visited the UK.

"Although Saint Therese had a very short life... she managed to radiate the love of God," said Father Alan Williams, director of the shrine.

Saint Therese was a nun who died of tuberculosis in 1897 at the age of 24.

She became a nun at the Carmelite Convent at the age of 15 but only after making a pilgrimage to Rome.

She was too young to enter the convent so she lobbied the Pope to ask to be let in early.

Before her death, Saint Therese wrote an autobiography which helped to immortalise her.

The casket, which is travelling around the UK, contains her thigh and foot bone.

Saint Therese's appeal lies in the simplicity of her teaching and its emphasis on love.

She was well known for smiling at people and taking the blame for other people's faults.

Thousands of people are expected to visit Walsingham in the hope of praying in the presence of Saint Therese's remains.

The remains will arrive on Tuesday, 6 October, 2009.

Following an all-night vigil, services will be held on Wednesday, 7 October, 2009 before the remains leave for Oxford at 1.30pm.

BBC Norfolk's Louise Priest spoke to Father Alan Williams about the importance of her visit to the shrine at Walsingham.

Some people may think looking at someone's old remains could be described as ghoulish.

Some parts of this Saint are in France, some are elsewhere in Europe and some are orbiting around the world.

This is the early Christian tradition of the remains of martyrs giving some kind of earthly contact with the Saints.

Our belief is that with death, we enter eternal life so relics are a way of making people feel at home with that world.

Had she done enough to be a Saint?

Absolutely. Most Saints are heroes or heroines but only a small proportion are Saints of Christianity.

What powers are those bones supposed to have?

Someone asked me if people come along, can they experience a miracle? My guess is no, but it depends what you mean by miracle.

If you mean interior transformation, coming closer to God, being gifted with a great faith, hope and love, then that's a kind of miracle for most people.

Has Walsingham ever had a visit of this kind?

Walsingham is 948 years old this year. An enormous number of pilgrims come from the UK and the rest of the world. It's becoming an increasingly popular place.

There's one Holy place in Walsingham but two shrines, Anglican and Roman Catholic. This is the first visit of its kind.

Can people see the bones themselves?

They are in a reliquary, a heavy casket that carries relics, so people can get close to it and touch it to get as near to Saint Therese's relics as possible.

Can you put a price on the relics?

I guess not. Remember in Roman Catholic churches all altars have relics underneath.

At the beginning of every Mass, the Priest kisses the altar. Relics in a church have always been fairly commonplace in a certain sense.

Are people getting excited?

They certainly are. People haven't been to anything like this before. As far as I am aware, Walsingham has never had anything like this before.

In medieval times people came to see relics in Walsingham, but in modern times, I suspect not.

One of the things about Saint Therese is that we have photographs of her which is very unusual. I suspect it's partly why this has such an impact on people these days.

Saint Therese's relics arrive in Walsingham on Tuesday, 6 October, 2009.

After an all-night vigil, services will be held before the relics depart at 1.30pm.

For more information, visit the Walsingham Roman Catholic Shrine website.