Third visit of relics rekindles special devotion to St. Therese of the Child Jesus

I finally caught up with the relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus
at the Chapel of the Carmelite Monastery of St. Therese of the Child
Jesus on Gilmore Street, Quezon City, Metro Manila, this morning.

The chase began at the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Cubao on
Lantana Street on Dec. 23. I went there in the afternoon only to learn
that the relics would be arrriving at 9 p,m. that day. The following
day I heard from a friend that the sacred items would be leaving the
premises at 3 p.m. on Dec. 24 even though the news report in the
Philippine Inquirer indicated that the Archdiocese of Cubao would have
the relics consisting of bone fragments of the saint from Lisieux until Dec. 26.

I returned to the cathedral to verify the whereabouts of the relics of
the saint known as the Little Flower yesterday, Dec. 25, only to hear
that these had already been moved  to the Chapel of the Carmelite
Monastery. This convent is walking distance from where I live.

I rushed to Gilmore to check. However, the relics were not for public
viewing yesterday. So I went back this morning. And at last I saw the
beautiful case of the relics. Devotees filed in to wipe the case with
hankies. Members of the Knights of Columbus guarded the relics.

The relics, making a third Philippine visit, would tour the country
for four months. Earlier visits to the country took place in years
2000 and 2008.

One day I will make a pilgrimage to Lisieux, Normandy, France. This is
my dream.