Saint Therese of the Child Jesus
of the Holy Face
Entries in St. Therese's relics return to Carmel (1)
The Solemn Translation of St. Therese's Relics from the Town Cemetery to the Lisieux Carmel, March 26, 1923
[On March 26, 1923, in view of the approaching beatification of the Venerable Therese of the Child Jesus, her relics were transferred ("translated") from the Carmelite plot in the municipal cemetery at Lisieux to the shrine which had been prepared for them in the chapel of the Carmelite monastery of Lisieux, where they remain to this day. We thank the Archives of the Lisieux Carmel, which graciously permitted us to translate this contemporaneous account of the events of that day into English and to publish it].
Extracted from a brown leather-edged, but very thin top, bound book stored in the Glorification cabinet. Title on the edge: St. Th EJ her beatification [1]
Across the City
LISIEUX had never before known such excitement as existed within its walls on the morning of March 26, 1923, Monday of Holy Week. Since yesterday, travelers from every direction had been pouring relentlessly out of the train station . . . Read more
Note that the exhumation had to be authorized by the Mayor of Lisieux, who tried to charge the Carmel a vast sum of money in exchange:
THE MAYOR OF LISIEUX AND SISTER TERESA.
"The body of the Venerable Sister Teresa was solemnly transferred on March 26 from the cemetery of Lisieux," says a writer in the "Journal des Debats," "to the chapel of the convent, where she gave so much edification and of which she will remain the glory." This translation, continues the writer, nearly caused a revolution at Lisieux. The Mayor, whose authorisation for the transference of the body of the venerable Sister was necessary, does not share the sentiments of his colleagues for Sister Teresa. He has only seen the mercantile side of the great fetes for which the beatification has been the occasion. For his signature he tried to obtain a price which defied all competition. Never before has the decree which authorised exhumations been so ingeniously turned to account. A petition was presented to the municipal council, the Mayor was cross-examined, and, after replying in mystic language, he capitulated. Finally, all was arranged on reasonable terms and the translation took place at the appointed time.
THE MAYOR OF LISIEUX AND SISTER TERESA. (1923, July 13). Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved April 2, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167741770