Huge crowds venerate St Therese relics in Britain (Feature)

By Anna Tomforde Oct 15, 2009, 2:08 GMT

London - Fish and chips and hot beverages were on sale outside London's Catholic Westminster Cathedral to sustain thousands of pilgrims queuing patiently to venerate the relics of St Therese of Lisieux.

Despite waiting times of at least two hours, unprecedented numbers have flocked to pray at the ornate casket of the 19th-century French Carmelite nun as it made its first-ever journey through Britain.

The large square in front of Westminster Cathedral was packed with thousands of devotees Wednesday, many clutching pink roses and candles in honour of the saint known as 'Little Flower.'

'She is famous for healing, we want to make wishes for our health and our future, and we want to pray for freedom in our country,' said Patricia and Rosy, two sisters from Myanmar.

Caroline Onyenwe from Nigeria said it was a 'big pleasure' for her to kiss the casket bearing some of the remains of the Saint after whom her primary school in Nigeria had been named.

Gabriela Gillman-Menage, a Roman Catholic from Britain, said visiting the casket of her favourite saint had been a 'sheer joy.'

She had been to Lourdes seven times, and prayed for Therese since childhood, but the 'easy access' to the relics in London had been a 'special experience.'

St Therese, the patron saint of those suffering from TB and AIDS, lived from 1873 to 1897, succumbing to tuberculosis at the age of 24.

She was canonized in 1925 and is best known today for her posthumous spiritual autobiography The Story of My Soul.

The elaborate wooden casket on display in London contains bones from Therese's thigh and foot which are sent around the world. Another portion of her body remains at her birthplace of Lisieux, in Normandy in northern France, and a third travels around France.

Since the casket, covered by a perspex case, arrived in Britain from France on a Eurostar train in September, more than 150,000 people have visited the relics in churches across Britain.

A further 100,000 were expected to pay their respects in London before the remains return to France.

Commentators in Britain have expressed surprise at the huge crowds attracted by the relics in a country where the Anglican Church dominates and religious affiliations are rarely publicly displayed.

'She seems to have something to say to everyone, whether we are Catholic, belong to another Christian church or are of another faith; whether we are a believer or not, or are searching for a meaning to life,' said Keith Baltrop, organizer of the British tour.

'We live in a celebrity culture where you are nobody unless you have sailed around the world by the age of 13 or been on 'Big Brother',' added Baltrop.

However, in the case of St Therese, her humble piety and 'simple, ordinary life' had proved to be her main appeal.

The atmosphere at the gatherings across the country had been full of contemplation, love and gentleness. 'We are not looking for miracles. The real healing is more in our hearts,' Baltrop told British media.

During the tour, due to end Thursday, the casket was taken to a service at Wormwood Scrubs - one of London's main prisons - where some 100 Catholic inmates took part in a special Mass under the watchful eye of guards.

The prisoners, many with rosary beads around their necks, knelt and prayed before the casket as two inmates chosen to act as altar servers dispensed incense so vigorously that smoke alarms were set off, reports said.