Novena to St. Therese
Preparing for the feast of St. Therese:
At the World Youth Day in August 1997 the Holy Father had made the announcement that he intended to enroll St. Therese of the Child Jesus as a Doctor of the Church on Mission Sunday, October 19,1997. The long awaited day (for there were many petitions, worldwide, seeking this honor for the saint) arrived. St. Peter's Square was bathed in a brilliant sunlight, with thousands of pilgrims as the Holy Father declared her "Doctor of the Universal Church."
The relics of the Saint were brought from Lisieux and carried in procession to be put in a place of honor before the altar of Sacrifice. When the Holy Father read the official proclamation, representatives from the six continents showered the reliquary and the crucifix with rose petals, as the choir sang in French verses from St. Therese's poem, Jeter des fleurs.
The Gospel was sung in Latin, the universal language of the Church, followed by the the same text sun in Old Slavonic by a Russian deacon, recalling the fact that St. Therese was designated by the reigning pontiff, Pope Pius XI, as the patroness of the Pontifical Russian College in Rome. At the time the Church in Russia was under severe persecution. After Communion the famous passage from St. Therese's Story of a Soul, was read, "In the heart of the Church, my Mother, I will be love."
Excerpt from St. Therese Doctor of the Little Way, published by Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate
Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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