The relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, one of the Church’s most beloved modern saints, will visit the Washington, D.C., region Nov. 19 through 30 as part of the national “Relics of Love and Trust Tour 2025.”
The tour of the relics offers the faithful an opportunity to pray before the remains of the Carmelite nun whose “little way” of trust and love has inspired generations.
Born in 1873 in Alençon, France, Thérèse Martin entered the Carmel of Lisieux at age 15 and died of tuberculosis at 24. Her autobiography, Story of a Soul, describes her path to holiness through small acts of love and confidence in God’s mercy. She was canonized in 1925 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997. Her parents, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, were canonized in 2015. She is now a patron of missionaries and one of the most widely loved saints of the modern era.
Schedule highlights are as follows
Wednesday, Nov. 19:
Theological College, Catholic University of America, 401 Michigan Ave N.E., Washington, D.C.
2 p.m. Welcoming of the relics; prayer until 6 p.m.
Nov. 20-22:
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave N.E., Washington, D.C.
Daily veneration from morning until 6 p.m. Masses will be celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory (Nov. 20), Cardinal Seán O’Malley (Nov. 21), and Cardinal Christophe Pierre (Nov. 22). Roses will be blessed after each Mass.
Nov. 23-25:
Carmel of Port Tobacco, 5678 Mount Carmel Road, La Plata, Maryland.
Public veneration and Masses each morning. Details at CarmelofPortTobacco.com.
Nov. 26-28:
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Winchester, Va. Veneration continues around the clock.
Nov. 29-30:
Our Lady of Victory Parish, 4835 MacArthur Blvd., N.W., Washington, D.C.
Veneration through Sunday before the reliquary departs for Miami.
A full schedule of sites and times is available at stthereseusa2025.com.
St. Thérèse taught that holiness is found in ordinary life, in doing small things with great love. Her confidence in God’s mercy and her promise to “spend heaven doing good on earth” continue to draw pilgrims more than a century after her death.
