Celebration of highly-revered Saint coming soon to Kildare

A feast day celebration of St Louis and St Zelie Martin, the Parents of St Thérèse of Lisieux, is coming soon to Kildare town.

According to an organiser for the event: "We are thrilled to have our Exhibition of Historical items from the life of St Thérèse and the Martin Family on show in Carmel Hall from 11am to 9.30pm also.

"This is a free exhibition. It was a huge success on May 17 [last] in Dublin and is not to be missed."

The celebration will take place on Saturday, July 12, 2025, and will start with a Mass at 7am. Another Mass will follow at 7pm. 

The relics of St Thérèse and her parents St Louis and St Zelie will be available all day for Veneration from 11am to 9.30pm.

The event will take place in Carmelite Friary Church, White Abbey, Kildare town (R51 K379).

For all enquiries, please contact 085 888 7549.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF ST THERESE OF LISIEUX

As outlined by the Society of the Little Flower, Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin was a Catholic Carmelite nun who was born in 1873 in the Normandy region of France.

After enduring multiple hardships in her early life, at age 15, she decided to become a nun along with two of her sisters at the Carmelite community of Lisieux, Normandy.

Unfortunately, St Thérèse contracted Tuberculosis, which ultimately ended up killing her in 1897: she was 24 years old.

According to the website Sanctuaire de Lisieux, in March of 1923, before St Thérèse was beatified, her body was returned to the Carmel of Lisieux, where it remains to this day.

The figure of Therese in the glass coffin is not her actual body, but in fact a statue modelled after her likeness: however, the coffin contains her ribcage and other remnants of her body.

Her feast day in the General Roman Calendar was listed as October 3 from 1927, until it was moved in 1969 to October 1.