The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was marked by a spirit of reverence and prayer as the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux arrived for the first day of their visit in November 2025. From 20–22 November, the Basilica was honoured to host the reliquary of this beloved Carmelite saint, welcoming the faithful who came to venerate her relics as part of their national tour across the United States.
The return of the relics to the Basilica carried particular historical and spiritual significance. It marked twenty-six years since their first visit in 1999, when thousands gathered at Mary’s Shrine to honour “The Little Flower.” This visit took place during the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of St Thérèse’s canonisation and coincided with the Jubilee Year, offering pilgrims a renewed opportunity to encounter her witness of faith, trust, and love.
On the opening morning, Simon Nolan, O.Carm., Prior Provincial of the Irish Province of the Carmelite Order, was invited to offer a reflection. Speaking before the relics, Fr Simon spoke on Thérèse’s invitation to draw near to the Lord: “Standing before her relics, we might ask her today: Little Thérèse, teach us to love God as you loved Him. Teach us to find Him in the ordinary. Teach us, with Mary, to lift our eyes with childlike confidence. Teach us to laugh a little more, to trust a lot more, and to believe that nothing offered in love is wasted.
Then her visit here will not be only a moment—but a seed. And long after these relics have travelled on, the roses of her ‘little way’ will keep falling—into our homes, into our parishes, into our nation. ‘Come and see,’ Thérèse says. Come and see what God can do with a small soul who trusts Him. May we leave this holy place determined to let Him do the same with us.”
As a specially designated national Jubilee site, the Basilica offered pilgrims the opportunity to obtain a Jubilee plenary indulgence under the usual conditions. Following each Mass celebrated during the visit, the Blessing of Roses took place in honour of St Thérèse, recalling her well-known promise: “When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens; I will spend my heaven doing good upon the earth.”
