A relic of the young French Carmelite nun — known in the Catholic Church as “The Little Flower” — is coming to Redlands.
The faithful can see the relic of St. Thérèse of Lisieux at the El Carmelo Retreat House in Redlands on Friday, Oct. 17.
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The first-class relic — defined as the remains or possessions associated with a saint, is a body part of the saint known for her deep faith and devotion.
Catholics celebrate St. Thérèse, especially on the 100th anniversary of her canonization, and during the Jubilee Holy Year in the Catholic Church. She died at the Carmel de Lisiuex monastery in France at age 24.
At El Carmelo, people can venerate the relic, which consists of remains inside a container, at the retreat center’s chapel from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is no admission fee.
Guests can park around the neighborhood or at Eastside Christian Church,1000 Roosevelt Road. Visitors may walk up the main drive — about a quarter-mile uphill trek — to the retreat chapel, or take shuttles that will be available.
There will be partial closures on Highland Avenue, and between Roosevelt Street and Cimarron Street, to allow for foot traffic.
At 7 p.m., a closing blessing will be held before the relic is removed from the site, organizers said. The retreat center and its gardens will be adorned with hundreds of roses, commemorating “The Little Flower” who loved Jesus.
St. Thérèse’s relic also visited the Carmelite-run retreat house 25 years ago, in 2000 — during the last Jubilee Holy Year in the Catholic Church — garnering thousands of visitors, organizers said.
“You feel close to God at El Carmelo,” said Tammy McCarty, chairman of the relics committee and the El Carmelo auxiliary. “It will be amazing to see how people feel when they come to see her relic.”
The Rev. Jose Luis Ferroni, a Carmelite friar and member of the relics committee, called the visit of St. Thérèse’s relic a “spiritual, miraculous cultural event” for Redlands. He hopes that visitors will leave feeling “showered and renewed.”
“In a time like this, it’s a breath of fresh air, to bring peace to each and every one of us, to our world,” Ferroni said. “Her message is very simple: Have gratitude and surrender. As Thérèse says, it doesn’t matter what you do for God — God does not look for great things that you do, but for the love that you do them.”
The relic’s visit to Redlands is part of a rare tour throughout the U.S., and at 10 Catholic dioceses in California — including stops this weekend at St. Therese Church (Saturday, Oct. 11, and Sunday, Oct. 12) and the Sacred Heart Retreat House (Monday, Oct. 13, and Tuesday, Oct. 14) in Alhambra, and at Thomas Aquinas College (Wednesday, Oct. 15) in Santa Paula.
For the full tour schedule, visit www.stthereseusa2025.com.
The relic’s stop at El Carmelo follows an earlier first-class relic tour of newly canonized Saint Carlo Acutis, who in September visited churches in Southern California, including in the Diocese of San Bernardino.
The El Carmelo Retreat House is at 926 E Highland Ave., Redlands.
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