Photo credit: Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Paris.

 On Friday, November 4, 1887, Therese and Celine Martin and their father, Louis, left Lisieux for Paris.  There they joined a pilgrimage organized by the diocese of Coutances, including pilgrims from their own diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux, who were traveling to Rome to honor the priestly jubilee of Pope Leo XIII.  To honor the anniversary of this historic moment, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is welcoming the relics of St. Therese from October 31 to November 6, 2013.

 Visit of Relics of St. Therese to Basilica du Sacre-Coeur, Montmartre, Paris

October 31-November 6, 2013

Thursday, October 31

The welcome of the relics of St. Therese (until November 6) for the 126th anniversary of the visit of St. Therese herself to the basilica.  She came on November 6, 1887 on her way to Rome on pilgrimage.

6:00 p.m.  Evening Prayer for the Vigil of All Saints.  Welcome of the reliquary and Mass for the Vigl of All Saints.

Friday, November 1

 
Time of veneration of the relics at 10:15 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m.
Mass of the Solemnity of All Saints at 11 a.m., Cardinal Andre VINGT-TROIS, celebrant, in the presence of the relics of St. Therese.

 2:15 p.m. Conference: “Praying to Jesus with Therese and all the Saints”

4:00 p.m. Vespers of All Saints

9:00 p.m.  Vigil of adoration with St. Therese

Saturday, November 2

Day of prayer for All Souls in the presence of the relics of St. Therese

11:15 a.m. Mass for the dead

Times of prayer for the dead throughout the day

Sunday, November 3

Mgr Renauld de Dinechin, Auxiliary Bishop of Paris, will celebrate Solemn Mass at 11:00 a.m.

At 2:00 p.m., a conference “In this Year of Faith, To Believe with Therese” presented by Mgr de Dinechin.


Monday, November 4

Veneration of the relics of St. therese


Tuesday, November 5

For the anniversary of the visit of St. Therese to the Basilica in 1887; Evening of prayer in the presence of the relics of St. Therese
 

Wednesday, November 6

The relics of St. Therese depart the Basilica after Morning Prayer at 8 a.m.

The Basilica will be open each day from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. with four Masses daily. Liturgy of the Hours (Morning Prayer, Office of Readings, Midday Prayer, Evening Prayer, Night Prayer) will be prayed each day. Confessions will be heard daily 10 a.m.-12 noon; 2:30-6 p.m., and 8:15-9:45 p.m.

Thanks to the Web site of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Paris, translated by Mary Davidson. 

The Basilica is staffed by Benedictine nuns.  There is also a Carmelite monastery on Montmartre.

Scooty Kellogg with the poster of St. Therese,

Patroness of Missions.  Photo credit: Sandy Dawes

The writing-desk on which St. Therese wrote Story of a Soul will appear on Sunday Night Prime on EWTN at 9 p.m. EST.  Father Andrew Small, the director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, will talk about St. Therese as Patroness of Missions and will share stories of the tour of the writing-desk in the United States, which is nearly over.  The show will be rebroadcast on Monday, October 28 at 2:00 a.m. EDT and again at 9:00 a.m. EDT.  Please see the details.  

See some photos of the taping of the show.

 The audio of this program is, of course, in French.

.Bishop Jacques Habert, bishop of Seez, introduces it.

• For this fifth anniversary, Walter and Adele Schiliro, the parents of the child Pietro whose healing at the intercession of Louis and Zelie Martin was accepted as the miracle for their beatification, traveled from Italy to France. The Schiliros are Italian, but you will see them seated in the sanctuary of the basilica where the couple whose intercession saved their son's life were married in 1858.  Walter Schiliro tells very simply the story of their son's birth, illness, and cure.  The Schiliros have said that their way of giving thanks is to make Louis and Zelie better known, and their testimony is deeply moving.
  
• Dr. Paterlini, a medical expert on Pietro Schiliro's case, then speaks about the case.
  
• Mgr Bernard Lagoutte, former rector of the basilica of St. Therese at Lisieux, will review the progress of the cause of the canonization of Zelie and Louis.  The program ends with questions from the audience.

We thank the diocese of Seez and M. Hubert Moritz for recording the program and uploading it so quickly. 

 The writing-desk of St. Therese is to make one more stop in northern New Jersey, sponsored by the Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic. This Monday, October 21, 2013, the writing-desk will be venerated at St. Michael Cathedral Chapel, 415 Lackawanna Avenue, Woodland Park, New Jersey.

The schedule for this "encounter with St. Therese" is:

11:00 a.m.  Prayer service

Followed by the opportunity to pray in the presence of the writing-desk until 2:00 p.m.

According to the schedule posted by the Pontifical Mission Societies, this is the last public event in the Northeast.  Only one more public event remains: on Thursday, October 24, in Venice, Florida.

Icon by Paul Orlando for the Parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Trieste, Italy. Displayed on "Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway" with permission of Fr. Antonio Sangalli, O.C.D.

On Saturday, October 18, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (8:30 p.m. in France), the diocese of Sees will broadcast live online the program "Toward Canonization," which is being held in the Basilica of Notre-Dame at Alencon, where Louis and Zelie were married and Therese was baptized. Watch it on the WebTV channel of the diocese of Sees..

The program is to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the beatification of Louis and Zelie Martin.

• Bishop Hacques Habert, bishop of Seez, will introduce it.
  
• Mgr Bernard Lagoutte, former rector of the basilica of St. Therese at Lisieux, will review the progress of the cause of the canonization of Zelie and Louis.
  
•  Walter and Adele Schiliro, the parents of the child Pietro whose healing at the intercession of Louis and Zelie Martin was accepted as the miracle for their beatification, and Dr. Paterlini, a medical expert on Pietro's case, give their testimony. Find out all that you've always wanted to know about what a canonization is, what a miracle is, but have never had the occasion to ask.
  

The program is in French, but I believe it will excite persons of all languages. Please watch it at http://www.orne.catholique.fr/En-DIRECT-VIDEO-du-diocese.html 

I remember so vividly, five years ago this evening, being present at that very basilica in Alencon at the Pontifical Mass on the vigil of the Mass for the beatification of Louis and Zelie Martin at Lisieux. 

If you missed the live broadcast, please watch the video:

• See stories in English about the healing of Pietro

• Revisit the beatification of Louis and Zelie Martin


• Read about the miracle which is being examined by the Vatican for the canonizaton of Zelie and Louis Martin