On a cold, rainy morning in Northwest Washington, D.C., worshippers arrived at Our Lady of Victory Parish for a Mass on Nov. 30 as the church welcomed the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux on the First Sunday of Advent. When the pews filled, parishioners and visitors made room wherever they could, with many standing along the walls and in the back to pray before the remains of the Carmelite saint.
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, celebrated the Mass before the relics departed the capital area for the next stop of their national tour in Florida. Concelebrants included Father Andrew Gonzalo, pastor of Our Lady of Victory Parish; Carmelite Father Mario Catungal, who is a chaplain in the United States Air Force; Father David Fitz-Patrick, former pastor of the parish; and Father Gary Studniewski, pastor of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Father Gonzalo welcomed parishioners and visitors and thanked Cardinal McElroy for presiding at the Mass following his recent surgery. He said the parish felt “immensely privileged” to host the relics during the first weekend of Advent. After Mass he noted that preparations had been underway “for a long time” and expressed gratitude for the “hard work and dedication” of parish staff and volunteers.
In his homily, Cardinal McElroy reflected on Advent as a season that prepares believers to contemplate the Incarnation and God’s unwavering love. He said conversion is central to Christian life but often challenging because it reaches into every part of a person’s identity. The day’s Scripture readings, he noted, underscore the urgency of opening one’s heart to God.
To illustrate the path of conversion, the cardinal turned to the spirituality of St. Thérèse. He said her teaching begins with recognizing the goodness and power of God, followed by an honest acknowledgment of one’s limitations in a spirit of authentic humility. Christian humility, he said, is “the ability and willingness to see yourself precisely as you are. Precisely as God sees you.”
As he described St. Thérèse’s belief that conversion begins when believers recognize both their strengths and weaknesses, Cardinal McElroy placed his hand over his heart and held it there. He emphasized her conviction that the work of conversion is not carried by human effort alone.
“It is God who carries us,” he said, “God who deepens our life of mercy, compassion, integrity, forgiveness, sacrifice, righteousness and justice.” He said St. Thérèse viewed conversion as an invitation from God who also provides the grace needed to accomplish it.
The prayers of the faithful included intentions for Pope Leo XIV and the unity of the Church, for the mission of the Archdiocese of Washington under Cardinal McElroy, and for families, especially children and the elderly. The congregation prayed that many would grow closer to God through the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the visit of the relics, and for those who are sick, suffering or in despair, invoking the intercession of Our Lady of Victory. A prayer was also offered for vocations, reflecting St. Thérèse’s lifelong dedication to praying for priests.
Cardinal McElroy said her Little Way points believers toward daily cooperation with grace through small acts of love and faithfulness. He noted that the Advent call of St. John the Baptist to repent and believe in the Gospel invites Catholics to trust that God is always near.
“God has not called us to a pathway that is impossible,” he said. “God is there constantly at our side, every day, in moments of grace.” He added that her spirituality is “suffused with the grace of God as paramount,” and that the work of conversion involves looking for daily opportunities to grow in the virtues found in the heart of Christ.
St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, known as the Little Flower, is a Doctor of the Church whose writings on trust and spiritual childhood have influenced millions.
Her relics had been in the region since the previous week as part of their national tour and drew hundreds of people to sites across the archdiocese.
