At the beginning of her reform of the Carmelites, St Teresa of Jesus was asked by the nuns of her first foundation – the monastery St Joseph in Avila – to teach them how to pray. In her response, she chose the spirit of Lent as her guide; she chose the Gospel of Mathew Chapter 6.

We return to the altar rail, this time guiding you to the opposite side of the Basilica, near the altar of the Sacred Heart. Here we see an anachronistic image of Thérèse kneeling before the Madonna and Child. Thérèse stretches out her hand as if to stroke the Child’s face.

Greater than the Marian Month of Mayday crowning, more than the Rosary month of October, and more than the Marian Saturdays of the year, is the Great Marian Season of Advent! Just take note of further enrichment of the Marian scripture texts in the breviary that followed Vatican II in the late 1960s.

At the encouragement of my sister, I began to ask for Thérèse’s intercession. I began to get better, and I was able to slowly return to the life I had been living before my illness. I had a relapse in 2003, but was able to overcome it.

Little Flower Basilica has the distinction of being home to first class relics of many of the Carmelite saints. In the fall of 2021, in order to celebrate All Carmelite Saints and All Carmelite Souls along with the return of many public activities, a special exhibition was held of many of these seldom seen treasures.