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Faithful greet relics of Therese December 14, 1999 |
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A black van pulled to the front of Little
Flower Church in Oklahoma City on Monday night. Greeted by thousands of
Catholics, the reliquary of St. Therese of Lisieux was taken from the
back of the van and placed on the sidewalk in front of the church. Small children dressed in white came from the nave of the church and threw rose petals on the Plexiglas that held an ornate wooden casket that contains four of the saint's bones. This was the first time any relics have visited the Oklahoma City Archdiocese. Little Flower Church is named after St. Therese of Lisieux, who practiced serving the Lord in little ways cloistered in her French Carmelite convent. She believed that one could serve the Lord by doing ordinary things to the best of one's ability. She was known as Little Flower for her love of roses. People believe that rose petals were her sign that their prayers had been heard. Born Therese Martin in 1873, she was a nun for only nine years. She died of tuberculosis when she was 24. She became known worldwide because of her autobiography, "Story of a Soul." Her childlike faith and piety led to her being canonized in 1925. On her deathbed she said she would do her earthly work in heaven. "Pope John Paul II said she was an excellent model for today's youth," Little Flower's Father Ruben Garcia said. "We are expecting people from Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, even New York to visit here. If we have a steady stream of people all night, we could have 20,000 visit here." Construction worker Joseph Rendon was one of the first viewers at the church Monday, saying he left work early to honor a saint that has special meaning in his life. "I used to not be such a good person, and I know the power of prayer," Rendon said. "Work doesn't seem that important when you get a chance to see something like this." Ernie and Debra Longoria of Choctaw waited in the blocks-long line of friends and families eager to see the reliquary. "My wife chose Therese as her confirmation name," Ernie Longoria said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see something this important." Rosario Terrazas of Oklahoma City, came to pray to St. Therese. In broken English he said, "I want to ask her for us to go to the millennium with no problems, for everyone to have a Merry Christmas. She's close to Our Lord Jesus Christ, and she might pray for us." Four young adults waited at the front of the line, smiling, pleased to see the relics. "I want to venerate her and thank God for her beautiful example," Bryan Arledge said. After the reliquary was taken inside the church at 1125 S Walker, a special Mass was celebrated. Sister Veronica Higgins wrote original music to celebrate St. Therese's life. Laura Ward choreographed a dance to the music, which was performed by Renee Reiner, 15, and Aimee Sanchez, 6. © The Oklahoma Publishing Co. and its
subsidiary, NewsOK.com. |