St Thérčse Draws Huge Crowds in London

Crowds swelled to tens of thousands as the relics of the Little Flower made their way north. At St John's Cathedral, 30,000 venerated them.

LIVERPOOL, England (UK Catholic Herald) - Almost 80,000 people have flocked to venerate the relics of St Thérčse so far during their tour.

Crowds swelled to tens of thousands as the relics of the Little Flower made their way north. Some 3,000 people welcomed the bones in Liverpoool, where they drew over 17,000 people during their 24-hour-stay in one of Britain's largest Catholic cathedrals.

Auxiliary Bishop Vincent Malone of Liverpool welcomed the relics at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King and spoke of their importance. He explained that venerating the relics was honouring "a temple of a God-given spirit". The Holy Spirit, he says "who gives us through St Thérčse such lessons of uncomplicated but demanding holiness that the Church honours her as a supreme teacher of the faith - a Doctor of the Church - brought to that perfection in 24 short years.

"What a challenge is that to those of us who have taken so much longer to make so much less progress?" he asked. Archbishop Patrick Kelly of Liverpool ordered an extra 1,000 commemorative booklets to meet huge demand.

The cathedral was closed to the public at night while Carmelite Sisters from four nearby convents made their private devotions during their vigil watch. But from early morning Masses were packed with pilgrims.

From Liverpool the relics were brought to St John's Cathedral, Salford where 30,000 venerated them over the weekend.

Bishop Terence Brain of Salford, with 64 priests, celebrated a crowded opening Mass and people queued outside to file past the relics.

One religious Sister said: "St Thérčse has given Catholics an excuse to come together and say to the world, 'I'm a Catholic!' She has been a catalyst for people to declare their faith publicly. As northerners, we are not demonstrative, we don't wear our hearts on our sleeves, but our faith is very deep. Lancashire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire... up in the north we lived and died for our faith. That's why we have so many martyrs in this part of the country, four of them in my own family."

Canon Tony McBride, dean of Salford cathedral, told the Manchester Evening News that six hours after the arrival of the relics, they had been visited by 7,000 people. "There was a steady trickle of people all through the night and there was never a time when there was no one here," he said. "It was a truly wonderful occasion for Salford and Greater Manchester."

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A torchlight procession consisting of 1,000 students accompanied the relics to the Manchester University chaplaincy. Large banners featuring St Thérčse, which Fr Ian Kelly, the chaplain, had received permission to hang from the lamp posts, lined Oxford Road.

After Manchester the relics stopped for three hours with the Carmelites in Preston, in the Diocese of Lancaster, where more than 2,000 people greeted them.

Bishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster and emeritus Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue met the casket containing the relics when it arrived at St Peter's Cathedral in Lancaster on Monday morning. The cathedral was packed for the opening ceremony and the first Mass and about 2,000 people came to pray beside the relics. Before being taken north, the relics had stopped at St Teresa of the Child Jesus in Filton, Bristol, where they had drawn 6,000 pilgrims.

Fr Tom Finnegan, the parish priest, said people "took the opportunity of taking part in the liturgy, touching the casket, saying a personal prayer, kissing the casket and staying silently". He said: "Many people took part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, there were four priests hearing confessions from 2pm till 11pm."

He said that people's reasons for coming included a love of St Thérčse, desire to be part of the event and to show dedication to the Church. Bishop Declan Lang of Clifton said: "The simplicity of St Thérčse obviously appeals to people and touches them at a very deep level and I think they recognise that there is something very human here. And the simple message that she has of God's love for us: that we are called to love God and love one another is just a message that inspires people."

However, Labour councillor Tim Cheetham of Barnsley, Yorkshire, described those venerating the relics as "slobbering zealots" on Twitter.