Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway

with thanks to the Southern Cross, published in Adelaide, South Australia from 1889 through 1954. 

BEATIFICATION OF THE

LITTLE FLOWER. «AS SEEN BY A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN.

The following account of the recent beatification in Rome of Soeur Therese of Carmel (the Little Flower) (by a South Australian student in Rome is of special interest:—

To-day (the Feast of St. Catherine) I had the happiness of assisting at Mass and receiving Holy Communion in the crypt of St. Cecilia, which, in my opinion, is the loveliest shrine in all Rome.

One of our young Fathers went down there to say Mass this morning, and when we got there we found a French priest saying Mass for an old Frenchman and his three daughters.

The old man was serving Mass, and the sight reminded me of that other old Frenchman who came there with his two daughters 36 years ago and knelt where I was kneeling. What a glorious day it has been! To-day I was present at the crowning of our 'Little Queen." This morning I went to St. Peter's. The sky was overcast and rain seemed imminent. On entering the piazza one beheld a continuous stream of people flowing into the Basilica. Over the central door from the loggia from which the Pope gives his blessing was suspended a large banner, which, however, was veiled so that one oould not see what was on it. On entering the vestibule one beheld over the central door leading into the church itself a large picture of the Little Flower clothed in white, seated beside her father in an old garden.

In the background is seen the Carmel of Lisieux. She is asking her father's permission to enter. He holds one of her hands in his and is speaking the words which cost him so much, but the reward of which he is reaping to-day in the glory of his "Little Queen." Inside the Basilica there were thousands upon thousands of people, a great number of whom were pilgrims from every country under the sun. Upon two of the piers supporting the dome were pictures representing miracles wrought by the Little Flower—one that of the cure of a nun, the other that of the cure of a priest. I presume these were two of the miracles formally proposed to prove the sanctity of Theresa.

The apse was hung with damask, while the space occupied above the Pope's throne by the stained glass window of the Holy Ghost was covered by a curtain which hid from view the picture of the Little Flower destined to be exposed when the Bull had been read and the Papal decree raising her to the altars of the Church had been promulgated. Electric chandeliers—a perfect forest of them —were suspended from the ceiling.

At 10 o'clock the procession of cardinals came from the sacristy. (By this time the electric chandeliers had been switched on, producing an effect that can scarcely be imagined). Behind the cardinals walked the Bishop of Bayeux—the diocese in which Lisieux is situated—who was to celebrate the High Mass. Behind him walked Cardinal Merry del Val, Archpriest of St. Peter's.

When the procession had reached the charter in the apse the Bull was read from a pulpit erected for the purpose, and at the end the curtains veiling the picture of the "Little Queen" above the throne was removed, and in a sudden blaze of light she was seen in glory casting her roses upon the earth. The effect was wonderful, and as the choir burst forth into the Te Deum, which was taken up by the people, I noticed quite a number around me crying at that moment. One felt that the Little Flower was not far off.

What a change had taken place since she stood in St. Peter's, a child of 15, broken-hearted and downcast because Leo XIII did not speak the one word necessary to open the doors of Carmel. Then she was a child unknown, to-day her name was on the lips of millions throughout the world. The greatest temple on this earth was decorated in her honor, and thither had come people from every country under the sun at the invitation of Pope Pius XI., who himself was coming officially, as head of the Church on earth, to pray to her who had come a suppliant to the feet of his predecessor. Surely if ever to-day was realised the truth of that text of which Theresa was so fond—"Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone. But if it die, it foringeth forth much fruit." How could any girl die more to the world than by entering a Carmelite monastery? Yet to-day there is no saint in the whole Church of God more popular—after Our Lady— than the little unknown Carmelite nun.

I went back to St. Peter's in the afternoon. The piazzo was crowded and a great number of troops were massed to keep order. I got a ticket for a place in the left transept, opposite the High Altar. The crush was fearful—not as bad as that of the coronation, however. The Pope was carried in ion the sedia gestatoria, but without the fans and tiara. He wore the white skull cap. Benediction was given in the apse. I couldn't see, as it was round the corner. The Pope was presented with the reliquary and also with the presents usual on such an occasion. Among them was a beautiful bouquet of roses (most appropriate for the occasion), which, I think, came from Ireland. I forgot to tell you that the picture in the piazza when unveiled in "the morning showed the Little Flower kneeling before Our Lady and receiving from the hands of the Infant in her arms roses which she, in turn, showered into the piazza of St Peter's. So ended tone of the great days of my life. You know the Little Flower told someone that when Rome would speak her shower of roses would become a torrent. Already I have had proof that she is keeping her word. I had from the moment I entered the Basilica that morning a firm conviction of it and I had not long to wait.

Citation:  BEATIFICATION OF THE LITTLE FLOWER. (1923, August 3). Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), p. 17. Retrieved April 30, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167742193