From 2009: St Therese of Lisieux

I always wait to be inspired to write or post and while I was wondering what to put for my first post on the Guild Blog ,this memory came ,thank you Saint Therese.You never fail me.I hope the other guild members don't mind me re posting something from my own blog,but this just felt right. The visit was an amazing experience,  it wasn't an ornate box of bones we met in Cardiff it was a smiling and loving person.

Our visit to the Little Flower was a wonderful blessing!! my husband , our daughter and myself were all thrilled and touched deeply by her presence through her relics being at our metropolitan cathedral in Cardiff last night.

We were rather later going than I had hoped but I was happy and calm about the whole thing and trusted that we would not be disappointed and we were not. We were in time to all receive Holy Communion ,something we had not been able to do all together for some months now, we were standing in the entrance porch of the cathedral as it is not a very large building and the bishop of Wrexham and 2 other priests came to distribute the sacrament right next to us! We were able to hear the singing of the choirs and the prayers.

I spoke to a Sister in a blue habit and one of the Friars who is travelling with the Saint to carry the Icon image of her before which we lit our candles.

Everyone was peaceful and happy, such fellowship and love was there and everyone sharing by looks and small gestures the feeling of happiness at being with dear Sister to receive Our Lord and pray together!
We then waited in line to venerate the relics .People left after mass and the whole place was packed and yet no barging or pushing! My husband and daughter asked what they had to do,do we have to kiss it ? No I said you can do what you feel comfortable with, just touch or even just look no one will mind. Others sat in the pews sharing quiet fellowship together old and young and of every age. I saw one very tiny baby and it was sleeping so peacefully in its mothers arms ! Older people and the sick were also present as well as Sisters of Charity in their blue and white saris, and priests and and other religious and alter servers.

Every now and then prayers and quotations of Therese were read out and slowly we got to the front, flowers were heaped around the relics and i added the spray of Orchids i had taken from my plant at home. I knelt and afterwards lent forward to kiss the cover of the relics, I touched my forehead to it also and laid my arm , holding my 3 rosaries across it ,only for a second or two but it felt as if we were alone and so close! I truly felt as if the dear sweet saint took me in her arms! and said I know what your prayer intentions are, I'm praying them too, Thank you for coming to see me! I moved away to light a candle. Goodness, how fierce was the heat and how many candles were burning and yet there was room for all to pause and light a candle before the large Icon portrait of our dear Little Flower. I sat in the pews near her and watched as others embraced her. I was excited and yet still she was with me calming my spirit and telling me not to worry that I could not stay longer or think of a formal prayer, because I was thinking of all my intentions and remembering my loved ones ,God knew what I meant ,and she was praying and sharing equally with every Soul that was visiting her.

What a wonder full moment that was. I took some pictures and then moved away to give others room and because I knew we had to come away because my husband who is diabetic needed some earthly food and we could not stay too late because of his work the next day . It was after 8pm when we left the Cathedral, as we walked out I was greeted by my Parish Priest , Father W Isaacs, and spoke to one of the Sisters of Charity at the door, I also blew my dear friend a kiss, and I felt she said to me Please come again.

Just around the corner from our Cathedral which is in the very centre of Cardiff is a branch of Burger King and it was full of Catholic pilgrims! refreshing themselves in body and happily sharing fellowship. our Parish Priest came in with a party young people , the altar servers, I think who had all been at the Cathedral, and we met a lady from our own little church which is one of the 3 that our Priests are looking after.

How happy we were my husband and our daughter and I laughing and joking together, as we drove away I looked at the Cathedral doors and said Thank you for coming to Wales and in my heart she answered, Thank you for visiting with me, come again! We will , in our prayers Dear Sister Therese. Thank you God for your Saints and today for this one in particular, who shows us The Little Way of Love and Trust.