Remains Of Saint Therese Of Lisieux On Tour In Iceland

The remains of Saint Therese of Lisieux, one of the most revered saints of modern times, have just arrived in Iceland and will tour the country.

RÚV reports that the holy remains arrived in Seyðisfjörður by ferry yesterday morning, in the company of monks from France and Holland. They were received by monks from Reyðarfjörður and nuns from Egilsstaðir.

While her relics have been on an international pilgrimage since 1994, this is the first time the saint’s remains have come to Iceland, and they will be traveling extensively around the country, staying at Iceland’s centres of Catholicism.

The first stop for St. Therese’s remains was the St. Péturskirkja church in Akureyri, where they arrived yesterday and departed this morning for the Maríukirkja church in Breiðhólt, east Reykjavík. They leave from there tomorrow morning for the Karmelklaustur cloister in Hafnarfjörður, where they will be until Saturday afternoon. At that point, they will go to the Catholic church at Landakot in downtown Reykjavík. On Monday morning, the remains will leave the capital area for Kirkja hl. fjölskyldu og hl. Jóhannesar Maríu Vianney church in Höfn, southeast Iceland, but on the morning of November 27 they will head north to the St. Þorlákskirkja church in Reyðarfjörður for their final stop, departing Iceland again the following afternoon.

Saint Therese is one of the most revered saints of modern times. Entering the Carmelite convent in Lisieux at the age of 15, her life was one of quiet contemplation and religious study. Her autobiography, ‘Story of a Soul’, described her spiritual journey in vivid and moving detail, outlining her “little way” path to salvation. She was canonised in 1925, and made a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.