The relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux and her parents Louis and Zélie Martin did not disappoint the Port Macquarie crowds.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Hundreds of people gathered at St Agnes' Church on Wednesday, 19 February, to venerate their relics.
Fr Joe D'Souza encouraged parishioner to adopt St Thérèse's simple spirituality into their own lives.
For Catholics, St Thérèse remains one of the most popular and enduring saints of all time.
Yet on first appearances her life might seem unremarkable. She was only 15 when she entered the enclosed Carmelite religious order. She died less than ten years later.
It was her writings, which were released after her death, which continue to inspire Catholics. The basic premise was that ordinary people could lead saintly lives without needing to commit heroic acts of virtue.
"Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God," the famous saint wrote. "Do all that you do with love."
Fr D'Souza told the packed congregation the less well-known story of St Thérèse's equally remarkable parents Louis and Zélie Martin. They are the first spouses in the church's history to be canonized as a couple.
St Thérèse's father had hoped to be a priest and her mother a nun but were turned away for various reasons.
Through "divine intervention" they met and married. But despite their marriage they were determined to be celibate as an offering to Christ. A priest convinced them otherwise and nine children followed.
Their lives were marked by tragedy, with four of those children dying. The remaining five daughters all became Catholic nuns. Zelie Martin died of breast cancer when her youngest daughter Thérèse was only four.
Lismore Bishop Greg Homeming described the Martin family as the model Catholic family.
"They have been where we are, and have together allowed God to perfect them," he said. "Being a family, the Martins prove that the family is the seed of holiness and goodness. We can learn from them."
The relics of Thérèse of Lisieux and her parents which are based in France are on a four-month Australian pilgrimage.
The relics are currently in Taree (Feb 20) before heading west to some of the towns hardest hit by the drought and bushfires, Armidale, Tenterfield and Tamworth.
What else is making news?
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, SIGN UP HERE.