National Shrine of St Therese facts for kids
The National Shrine of St. Therese is a special Catholic place in Darien, Illinois. It honors a saint named Thérèse of Lisieux. This shrine is part of the Aylesford Carmelite campus. The Carmelites are a religious group. The Society of the Little Flower helps support and run the shrine. This group is also dedicated to Saint Thérèse.
Contents
History of the Shrine
Early Beginnings
The first National Shrine for St. Therese started in Chicago in 1923. People loved "the Little Flower," which was Saint Thérèse's nickname. The shrine held special prayer services every Tuesday. So many people came that it moved to a bigger church. This was St. Clara's Church in Chicago.
Thousands of people attended these Tuesday services. Saint Thérèse became a saint in 1925. After this, the Carmelite Nuns in Lisieux, France, sent special items. These included relics and things she used. They sent them to thank the Carmelites in America for their help.
In the 1950s, leaders of the Catholic Church in the United States called this place a National Shrine. Over time, fewer people visited the Chicago location. Then, in 1975, a fire destroyed St. Clara's Church. This also destroyed the National Shrine of St. Therese.
Moving to Darien
The Carmelites faced a big challenge after the fire. They needed money to rebuild the shrine. In 1959, the Carmelites had bought a large property. It was the summer home of a former congressman. They named this new place the Aylesford campus. It was named after their main monastery in England.
A very generous gift helped the Carmelites. This gift came from a devoted Lay Carmelite. Lay Carmelites are people who follow Carmelite ways but are not monks or nuns. This gift made it possible to build a new shrine. The new National Shrine of St. Therese was built in Darien, Illinois.
Father Terry Sempowski helped design and build the new shrine. He wanted it to reflect Carmelite beliefs. He also wanted it to show Saint Thérèse's "little way" of living. The new shrine building was officially opened on November 1, 1987.
Growing and Expanding
From 1999 to 2000, the Carmelites organized a special tour. The relics of St. Therese traveled all over North America. Father Bob Colaresi led this tour. Huge crowds came to see the relics everywhere. Many people visited the National Shrine in Darien during this time.
This amazing experience brought more people to the shrine. More and more visitors came for daily Mass and other events. So, a decision was made to make the shrine bigger. They wanted to double its size. The expanded shrine was blessed in February 2002.
A kind gift from a foundation helped again. This gift allowed the Society of the Little Flower to build an even newer shrine. It was designed by Charles Vincent George Architects. This new building is next to the current Shrine Museum. Work on this new shrine finished in 2018. The larger building has many prayer stations. These honor different Carmelite saints. It can also hold many worshipers in its main area.
The Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague is also part of the National Shrine of St. Therese.
Exploring the Museum
What You Can See
The National Shrine Museum is full of special items. It has many relics and memories of St. Therese. It holds the largest collection of "Little Flower" objects. Only her home in Lisieux, France, has more.
Some highlights of the museum include first-class relics of St. Therese. These are very important items connected to her. You can also see her photographs and paintings of her life. There is a special Prayer Gazebo. A full-sized copy of her convent room is also there. This room includes second-class relics, which are items she touched. Video screens explain everything in the museum.
Special Artworks
A huge stained-glass window is part of the museum. It shows a beautiful journey of the soul to God. This idea comes from St. John of the Cross's teachings. Saint Thérèse's own spiritual journey was very similar to his ideas.
On the side of the National Shrine Museum, there is a massive wood carving. It shows the entire life story of St. Therese. It tells her story in a visual and beautiful way. This is the largest religious wood carving in the United States.
Saint Thérèse was a Carmelite nun. She lived a quiet life of prayer. She was very devoted to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the special protector of the Carmelites. She teaches us to see God's love in our daily lives. The National Shrine Museum has a large collection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel statues. These statues come from all over the world.
Visiting the Shrine
What to Do There
Mass is held at the Shrine every weekday at 11:30 a.m. The Shrine welcomes both single visitors and groups. Each year, thousands of people from around the world visit. There is a religious gift shop inside the Shrine building. Visitors can buy books, prayer items, and other things related to St. Therese.
Annual Celebrations
Every year on October 1, the Feast Day of St. Therese is celebrated. This special event takes place at the National Shrine. It includes a special Mass. Visitors can also honor the relics of St. Therese. There are also talks about the saint known as "the little flower."
