St Thérèse relics come to Oxford

Thousands of people went to see the casket at the Oxford Oratory

The bones of a Carmelite nun have been on display at The Oratory Church in Oxford.

Who was St Thérèse?

Born in 1873, Thérèse Martin was the youngest of nine children. Her parents were devout but the family was struck by tragedy.

Four of the children died in childhood and her mother died when she was just a young child.

Her elder sister, Pauline, became a Carmelite nun and St Thérèse herself developed a vocation early on.

Initially refused entrance into a convent because of her age, she petitioned her local bishop and then Pope Leo XIII, when she went on pilgrimage to Rome.

She was finally admitted to a Carmelite convent aged 15 in 1888. The young girl soon found herself at home there, both emotionally and spiritually.

St Thérèse had a particular fondness for nature, hence the name by which she is often known, 'The Little Flower'.

She died when she was only 24 years old after contracting Tuberculosis. As her health failed her she was encouraged to write an account of her life, The Story of a Soul. Published shortly after her death in 1897 it has proved remarkably popular with people of all faiths and nationalities.

Unusually she was canonised in 1925, less than 30 years after her death in 1897. At the time the process should have allowed at least 50 years between death and beatification but Pope Benedict XV dismissed that rule.

What is a relic?

Photographs from the events in The Oratory Church in Oxford

A relic can be either a part of the physical remains of a holy person after his or her death, or an object which has been in contact with his or her body. In the case of St Thérèse the relics are a thigh bone and a few fragments of her foot.

By venerating the relics of saints, some Christians believe that they are honouring God, who made the person holy. The relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux are contained in a closed silver casket which is inside a Jackoranda Wood case that was donated by the people of Brazil. The whole thing is covered with a glass canopy over the top. It weighs about 21 stone and takes six people to move.

St Thérèse in Oxford

Thursday 8 October

5.45am Matins and Lauds of St Thérèse Led by the Sisters of the Work, Littlemore

6.30am Quiet Prayer

8.30am Sung Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form)

9.30am - 1.30pm Quiet Prayer

1.30pm Service for the Sick Fr Aldo Tapparo, Chaplain JR Hospital, Oxford

2.30pm Quiet Prayer

3.15pm Benediction, Sermon & Processional Departure Celebrant & Preacher: Rt Rev Philip Boyce O.C.D. Bishop of Raphoe, Ireland