St. Thérèse Relics

The relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux were on a national tour in honor of the 100th anniversary of her canonization and the Jubilee Year of Hope. On Saturday, November 22, I went up to D.C. with my family and a friend to see the relics on the last day of their visit at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Public Transportation

My family took the Amtrak from Richmond, and my friend and I joined them from the Fredericksburg stop. This was only my second time being on a train since I was six-years-old, and it was interesting to ride public transit again. Once we got to Union Station we had to take the Metro, which was also a unique experience for me.

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Funnily enough, I’ve been to the National Shrine only once before, and it was just earlier this semester. It’s a gorgeous church and if you ever have the opportunity to visit, you definitely should. We waited in line for about 25 minutes for the veneration of the relics. The relics were housed to the side of the altar in an ornate wooden chest behind a glass display case. Because of how many people were there, we only had time to briefly touch the glass and then move on. One of the Shrine staff said that the chest contained some of St. Thérèse’s bones, pieces of her habit, and some relics of her parents Blesseds Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin.

After the veneration, we waited for Confession. However, only my friend was able to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation–the rest of us ran out of time before Mass. The Mass was beautiful, and they made a point to sing every verse of every song.

Afterward, we grabbed a late lunch a few blocks away and then caught an evening train back home. All in all, a long but rewarding day!