ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Hundreds gathered for mass and veneration of the relics of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica on Wednesday for the first time in 26 years.
Watch Christiana Ford's video report:
For many visitors, the return of these sacred relics represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with the Carmelite nun known as the Little Flower, who was canonized as a saint after her death at just 24 years old.
Aylin Samoray remembers the last visit in 1999 vividly.
"In 1999, my mom woke me up at 4 am and said St. Therese's relics are coming. This is a once-in-a-lifetime; we gotta go. So we came to mass, and rose petals fell from the ceiling, and it was beautiful," Samoray said.
Now, 26 years later, Samoray brought her 13-year-old son Gabriel to experience the same spiritual moment. The teenager was deeply moved by the experience and its connection to St. Therese's famous spiritual approach called "The Little Way."
"I wanted to buy a rose because I touched it to her relics and I wanted to be reminded of St. Therese's act of doing little things with great love because when you do little things with great love, it becomes bigger and bigger things, and that's what changes the world," Gabriel Samoray said.
The reliquary containing some of the saint's bones arrived in the U.S. as part of a national tour, with the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak serving as the first stop. The church offers the public the chance to sign up for Mass and veneration over eight days.''
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Maria Frances Ward was among the many who felt called to make the journey.
"I am very excited. When I heard that they were coming to our church, I just felt my heart leap, and I just thought this is wonderful," Ward said.
The visit holds special significance for students at Shrine Catholic Schools, who joined in for mass and veneration as part of their faith education.
"We practice our faith here every day, but actually getting to see the children engage in veneration and getting to pray together, sing together was a really special occasion," said Erika Zwolinski, Shrine Catholic Schools Grade School Assistant Principal and Director of Early Childhood Center.
Reverend John Bettin of National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica emphasized the special connection between the church and the saint.
"Our church is named after her National Shrine of the Little Flower, and so it's a great day, you can sense the joy," Bettin said.
The relics have drawn visitors from across the region, including Katie Toney, who traveled from Norwalk, Ohio.
"I'm pretty excited, and it's not even... the relics being here is amazing, but you can feel just walking around this place, there's just so much love in every stone, in every flower," Toney said.
For some visitors, the timing felt perfectly aligned. Deborah and Dan Bizon got married in Grand Rapids on Wednesday morning and came to Royal Oak by afternoon to visit the relics.
"We got engaged September 26, and we made the decision after realizing it was St. Therese's 100th anniversary of her canonization, and miraculously, his phone showed up with this event in Royal Oak," Deborah Bizon said.
The last day to visit the relics is October 8.
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