Coming to Lisieux was a bit of a
pilgrimage, although not perhaps in the usual sense. No novenas or rosaries,
but I did come to offer a prayer for family and friends and to catch something
of Thérèse spirit.
The Basilica of St Thérèse was
very visible from the train station. It was started in 1929 and blessed in 1937,
but it wasn’t fully completed until 1954 because of World War II. Even so, that
must be a record for building in those days. One of the information booklets
said it was also paid for in record time, mainly by small donation from people around
the world attracted to the spirituality of St. Thérèse.
I loved the interior. It’s a Roman-Byzantine
design.
There were so many colours in the
mosaics.
There were different types of
stain glass windows.
This one is a rendition of Psalm 32 - "The Lord is my Shepherd."
Some were based on the Canticle
of Daniel “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.” It’s a favourite of
mine.
Others were depictions of saints…
Or images of Jesus using animal
characters…
The walls, ceilings and windows
were like a grand procession giving praise and thanks to God. I recognized this particular saint...
Between 3000 and 4000 pilgrims
can gather in the upper church (two different sources gave different numbers).
There were various side altars
around the perimeter. Before Vatican II these altars were used by individual
priests to celebrate Mass (before the days of concelebration). Each of the side altars was dedicated to a different country. I found the
Canadian Chapel.
I suspect that these side chapels were created in recognition of the churches in these countries that contributed something to the Basilica. That would make sense. Also, Thérèse prayed in a particular way for a priest she knew who became a missionary to Canada
Closer to the main altar is a
place where pilgrims can light a candle and say a prayer. I did both.
There is also a lower church –
which is called the crypt -- that is used for smaller gatherings.
It reminded me of the ancient
chapel under St. Cecilia’s church in Rome. There were lots of mosaics, and many
women figures.
Both the upper and lower church
had a decidedly feminine character that was very appealing. At the same time, not all things feminine were docile...
This eagle was created in the ceiling over the altar.
While I was in the crypt, a group
of young people arrived. They were on a pilgrimage learning about St. Thérèse.
There was going to be a mass celebrated so I joined the group. Young people are
the same everywhere – curious, attentive at times, singing along with the CD
when they knew the piece, sometimes bored and more interested in their
neighbor, stealing glances on what what was taking place behind them… From what
I could understand of the homily, the priest was making the connection between
the scripture readings, Thérèse and their own lives. They looked about 15-17 years old. She was 15 when she joined the Carmelite Sisters.
There is also a Blessed Sacrament
Chapel created in 2000.
It is meant for silent prayer,
but there were three Masses celebrated there in the time that I was
visiting. As one group was leaving,
another was getting ready to enter. It must be a nightmare sometimes working
out the schedule of pilgrims. One of the groups was English speaking. I think
they were from the Philippines and were on a tour of Lourdes and Fatima as
well.
From the church I went to a small
welcoming centre and watched a short film (in English) on the life of St.
Thérèse. She was the youngest of 9 children, four of whom died in infancy or in
early childhood. Her mother died of breast cancer when Thérèse was 4 1/2. After
that her sister Pauline, became a second mother to her. A few years later,
however, Pauline joined the Carmelites and little Thérèse was
left again. Thérèsa herself joined the Carmelites at the age of 15. As it happened, she was only in the community a number
of years before she contracted tuberculosis. She died at the age of 24. She
would have remained in obscurity except for the fact that a couple of years
before she died, she had written an autobiography at the request of her sister.
After she had died, these writing, "The Story of a Soul," were published and copies distributed to the
different Carmelite communities. What became evident was the Thérèse had an
extraordinary spiritual life and copies of her book began circulating more widely. Soon her cause was taken up to recognize her holiness of life. She was
proclaimed a saint in 1925, only 28 years after her death. More recently, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church in 1997, 100 years after her death.
After visiting the Basilica, I
walked to her family home. On the way I got turned around in my directions (a
common occurrrence in France, even with a map), but as luck would have it, I
looked up and saw this…
The house was very charming and
a common style to many in the town.
Visitors are allowed to visit a
few of the rooms inside. We could see the dining room
through a window.
And the Sister who was describing
the room noted that the clock was hand made by Thérèse’s father.
The family was quite well-off for
the time period (1860’s) and it wasn’t so much because of her father, but her
mother who had a lace-making business. Her mother, Zélie, was a very good
lace-maker herself, but also had several other women working for her in Alençon
where they first lived. Louis sold his watchmaking business to work with his
wife in her business. After she died, he sold that business and moved with his
five daughters to Lisieux.
All five daughters eventually
became religious sisters. There is a statue of Thérèse asking her father if
she, too, could join the Carmelities community.
From the home I walked to the St.
Peter’s Cathedral where there was a photo exposition in place. There is one
photo of Thérèse that I found quite engaging.
It was taken when she was playing
the role of Joan of Arc, a play that Thérèse herself had written. She would have been about 17 or 18.
There was also a composite of
different images of Thérèse.
Photography was very recent at that time period.
It was only because Thérèsa’s sister’s, Celine, brought a camera to the convent
when she herself joined that we have any pictures of Thérèse and the community.
From the Cathedral I walked to
the Carmelite Convent and visited the museum as well as joined the sisters for
evening prayer (vespers). It was very simple. The body of St. Thérèse is
entombed adjacent to the chapel and many people stopped there to say a prayer
and offer flowers.
It is clear that there is a strong devotion to St. Thérèse. It is her total simplicity of life that captures one's imagination. Her whole life was dedicated to love - doing the simplest tasks from a spirit of love. As I continue my sabbatical and contemplate my next steps, it is good to stay grounded in that simplicity.
I really like the French countryside. It was a very good day. The
weather stayed nice all day and I was able to see and do everything I had
planned.
My exams last week seemed to go
well. I know I stumbled over some of my words and verb conjugations in the oral
exam, but I did my best. The same goes for the written exam the next day. I
should find out before I leave Rouen how I did.
Coming up is my last week of
classes. There will be no stress, only fun. There is a final exam here as well
on Thursday, but nothing like the DELF. I still plan to study French after my
formal classes are finished. I have enough books to keep me going strong for a
while.
The last couple of days, I’ve
been watching a few cooking shows in French and am surprised by how much I
understand. I don’t catch everything, for sure, but more than I did before.
Everyday is a little better.
I’m not sure what other trips I will
plan before leaving Normandy. I would like to go back to Dieppe one last time
and maybe Caen. There are still lots of interesting things to see and do in
Rouen.
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