St Therese of Lisieux remains arrive in UK

Thousands of people flocked to a cathedral yesterday to catch a glimpse of the relics of a Roman Catholic nun described as the 'greatest saint of modern times'.Pilgrims collapsed in tears as a casket containing the remains of St Therese of Lisieux arrived at St John's Catholic Cathedral in Portsmouth for the first part of a month-long UK tour. Many of the faithful touched the protective glass or pressed rosary beads and cuddly toys against it, hoping the goodness of St Therese would rub off on them. The sick prayed to be healed and relatives of the dying pleaded for a miracle as they passed the tomb, which is said to contain pieces of her thigh and foot bones.

St Therese was born in Alencon, Normandy, and entered a Carmelite convent in Lisieux aged just 15.She became famous following the publication of her autobiography 'The Story of a Soul' after her death from tuberculosis in 1897 at the age of 24. She famously said that when she died, she would ‘let fall a shower of roses on earth’, and was declared a saint in 1925 by the Catholic Church. She has since become the patron saint of a number of groups including missionaries, Aids sufferers, florists and the sick.

Her teaching has been summed up as the ‘Little Way of the Spiritual Childhood’ - or simply doing everyday things with great love, without complaining or criticising. Organisers of the tour said all are welcome to visit the relics, with a special invitation to the sick and young. Monsignor Keith Barltrop said the relics were an aid to help the faithful to come into deeper contact with God. He said: ‘St Therese has always been popular, I suppose for her simplicity and the very direct, almost childlike relationship she had with God and the fact that she was very ordinary and full of love for God and other people teaches us that everyone can be holy.

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