Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway

I am so sad to hear about the loss of this great priest and good man. May he have received the gift of final perserverance, and may eternal light shine upon his soul and all the souls of all the faithfully departed. He was an anchor to all that was good and solid about the Church. We need men like him in the priesthood. Please, Lord, send many more into Your vineyards, and may we have Fr. Ryan's prayers for this intention.

I knew Father Linus in the 1960s when I lived in Dublin. He was an exceptionally kind, understanding priest. I first encountered him in the confessional and then met him on several occasions when I consulted him for advice and guidance. I well remember the occasion when Bishop Fulton Sheen came to Whitefriars and I arrived at the church just before he was due to speak. The church was very full and I was right at the back when Father Linus saw me and led me to a seat in one of the front rows. This was typical of him and I remember him with warmth, affection and great respect. May he rest in peace.

Dear Friends of Father Linus Ryan, O.Carm,

With the death of Father Linus all of us have lost a wonderful friend on earth but I am sure he will remain a wonderful friend of all of us in Heaven! Although I only met Father Linus once, he left a profound impression of a priest and religious who was filled with God's love. It is hard to express the great devotion he had to St. Therese and his zeal to spread that devotion to others. He played a very important role in the beatification process of Louis and Zelie Martin.

He also played a very important part in the canonization process for the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Father Linus loved Archbishop very much. He had the Archbishop come to Ireland twice to preach a retreat for priests and a beautiful novena in honor of the 100th anniversary of the death of The Little Flower. With his gracious help we were able to turn the preached novena into a wonderful book, "Archbishop Fulton Sheen's St. Therese: A Treasured Love Story."

Speaking both for myself personally as well as for the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, Father Linus has been a wonderful friend and enthusiastic supporter of the Archbishop's cause. May God grant him a great reward in the Kingdom of Heaven for all he has done for so many.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Father Andrew Apostoli, CFR
Vice-Postulator
Cause of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

We were so sad to hear of dear Fr. linus departure from this world as he made the journey into life, just like St. Therese. Yes, indeed, he was the inspiring person behind The devotion of the irish people to Saint Therese and which he nurtured in every possible way, always leading us to a deeper and more wholesome and esp. a constant devotion to Jesus' little Flower. The way was always open to her to visit Ireland because he seemed to be always awaiting her every wish and so when it was God's will for her to come everything was always ready. The first visit of her relics to Ireland was an immense grace and Fr. Linus was her guardian Angel. How lovely that she chose to come again this year! It could only be to whisper to Fr. Linus that she was coming to prepare him for his entry into the kingdom where she already is. It was entirely appropriate for her to come this year and for us it was a truly wonderful grace and blessing. I'm just wondering how he too will spend his heaven doing good upon earth for he will be like her in every way possible. Meanwhile I pray for the happy repose of his soul as I also ask his interession. As always, our loss is heaven's gain. So be it Amen alleluia
Sr. M. M. Loughrea Carmel, Co. Galway

We thank and praise God for his life and all the work that he did for St. Therese and her parents. We will pray for the eternal repose of Father Ryan's soul and for all who suffer from this loss.

Dear friends,

A word to inform you of the entry into life on July 17 of a great Theresian figure in Ireland, Father Linus Ryan. He worked ardently to spread the message of Therese, for the reception of her relics, and for the beatification of the Martin parents. He, among others, was the intermediary through whom the beautiful reliquary—that we now call the “Irish reliquary”—of Louis and Zélie was offered. A debilitating disease which made him suffer terribly prevented him from coming to Lisieux for years, but he remained in constant contact with us by telephone, and he continued to work with his faithful collaborators, who came every year to Lisieux on the Irish National Pilgrimage. Three or four months ago, Msgr. Lagoutte, the rector of the shrine at Lisieux, went to visit Father Ryan and to give him a beautiful reliquary of the Martin parents. It appears in the photograph. It was time for Father Ryan to be set free, for he had lost the sight in one eye and had started to lose it in the other. But never a complaint . . . He retained an exquisite kindness for all his visitors. Thank you for keeping him in your prayers, together with his family, his Carmelite brothers, his friends, and his collaborators, for they will no doubt feel a great emptiness even though, for Father Ryan himself, it is a real delivery. Ria and I will represent the Pilgrimage Office at Lisieux at Fr. Ryan’s burial, which will take place on Monday, July 20. The Mass will be at 11:00 a.m. in Terenure College, Dublin, where he lived with his community of friars of the Ancient Observance of the Carmelite Order. He will be buried in the cemetery of White Abbey, in Kildare, the city from which he came, and of which he was so proud.

Fraternally,

Sister Monique-Marie

For those who knew him or had bonds with him, you can always send an e-mail to sttheres@indigo.ie His collaborators, especially Mr. Pat Sweeney, will open it.