The Little Flower and Scotland
The surprising connection between St Therese Lisieux
When people think of Saints associated with Scotland, names like St. Andrew, St. Columba & St. Ninian come to mind. Or, more aptly, given that you’re reading this publication, you’ll think of St. Moluag. However, St. Therese of Lisieux has a meaningful connection with the country.
(Picture of ‘The Confidence’, dedicated to St. Therese of Lisieux - Pope publishes new Apostolic Exhortation dedicated to St Thérèse of Lisieux - Catholic Bishops’ Conference)
In 2009, England and Wales had the opportunity to venerate the relics of St. Therese, fondly named ‘The Little Flower’. The tour of her relics started in Portsmouth and ended in London, which is meaningful, as these two cities featured on a map of the United Kingdom that a young then-Marie Francoise-Therese Martin drew as a child.[1] It was reported that a whopping two thousand people attended the final Mass dedicated to her at Westminster Cathedral.[2]
(Picture of map hand-drawn by a young St. Therese of Lisieux – provided by St Thérèse’s Scotland map proves relics’ visit ‘fulfils her wish’ - SCO News, 2019)
This map, drawn in pencil, and composed when she was at school, includes a light and impressive sketch of the United Kingdom. Not only that, but a few Scottish cities are also pinpointed like Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.[3] It is unknown what this map was drawn for, and it is up to the observer’s imagination – but in 2019, it became a part of St. Therese’s mission.
From 30th August to 20th September 2019, The Little Flower’s relics were on display for veneration across the country.[4] The tour of her relics ventured to the dioceses of Motherwell; Galloway; Dunkeld, and Argyll and the Isles. Most meaningful were her visits to the archdioceses of St. Andrews & Edinburgh; Glasgow; and the dioceses of Aberdeen and Paisley.[5] The latter four mentioned were all places listed on the map drawn by the Carmelite nun when she was a young girl.
St. Therese of Lisieux’s religious life began at the young age of 15, when she sought to become a cloistered, monastic nun at the Carmelite monastery of Lisieux in France.[6] A priority of St. Therese was evangelisation, and she cared for the souls in every corner of the world. Praying for the salvation of all became her intention.[7] Though she passed away at twenty-four in 1897, she informed her friend who was a Carmelite missionary that she would spiritually intercede from Heaven to save souls in abundance.[8]
Retroactively, her map now becomes a mission statement, as the cities dotted around can be seen as checkpoints on her eternal journey. By her relics being shown on display across Scotland in 2019, it is unknown the blessings that might have came as a result.