A Pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Therese

Last Monday evening we reached Schaumburg, Illinois our destination for the CMN Conference. Tuesday morning was set up for our Children's Rosary booth although the conference would not start to the following day.  The afternoon we had a very special treat. We were able to participate in a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Therese in Darien, Illinois. This is run by the Carmelite order. Upon entering the Shrine one of the most breathtaking sites is this mural on the wall depicting important moments in the life of St. Therese.  Beneath the mural was a collection of relics of St. Therese including bone, flesh, and even dust from her coffin.

As we had driven from Connecticut, we had a car and decided to go a bit early of the buses to the Shrine as we might have some time to explore and also pray. This proved very providential. The heat outside kept us mostly inside and we had time to pray before the relics. Not only were there relics of St. Therese but also her parents who are also saints.

Zelie and Louis Martin taught their children to respect God's providence both in fulfillment and disappointment  This line in their biography caught my attention. For my own small part, my heart has been falling in love more and more with the Providence of God. To see these two beautiful saints impress a respect for God's providence in their children seemed a further confirmation of its great importance. 

Later as the buses arrived we were able to hear a talk about the life of St. Therese. As the children and I together had read her autobiography this year, the stories were fresh in our minds but hearing them again was very special. We were taken through many items that were hers as a child including drawings and clothing she had made. 

We were able to see a room made up just as her room had been in the convent. It even had the door of her room and several items that existed in her real room.  The evening concluded with a Mass celebrated by Fr. Andrew Apostoli CFR. In a special way I prayed for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. You were very close with us there. 

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Beauty
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Don't forget to unify prayers with the children during their meetings. A schedule of meetings is present on our website. By clicking "Join in Prayer" you can add your gold flashing light to our View from Heaven map.

For more information about the Children's Rosary visit our website: www.childrensrosary.org
Visite nuestro sitio web en español para obtener más información: www.rosariodeninos.org