Thousands of people turned out in Co Wexford yesterday to greet the relics of St Therese of Lisieux at the start of a 75-day tour of Ireland.
The ornate casket containing the remains arrived at Rosslare Harbour on the Irish Ferries vessel, Normandy, where it was taken ashore to the strains of Abide With Me, played by a brass band of members of the 10th battalion of the FCA, based in Wexford.
Invited guests applauded when the Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey, received the reliquary before it was transferred to the "Theresemobile" to make the short journey to St Patrick's Church, where more than 1,000 people had waited for up to two hours.
Several thousand more were present in Enniscorthy when the casket arrived for a procession through the town, followed by a liturgical reception conducted by Bishop Comiskey at St Aidan's Cathedral.
Others stood on the roadside as the reliquary left the harbour and paid their respects to the Carmelite nun who died in 1897 at the age of 24. They were joined by a group called the Brothers and Sisters in Christ, bearing placards with the message: "Welcome Therese - Called To Be A Priest".
A spokeswoman, Ms Soline Vatinel, said Therese had expressed a wish to be ordained and was the unofficial patron saint of groups working for the ordination of women.
For most of those present, however, the saint's arrival was an occasion of celebration. Sister Anne McGlynn, a Carmelite nun from New Ross, said it was "fantastic" that Therese was bringing the name of Jesus to the world. "We feel that Therese is getting all her wishes now . . . I think she is coming to remind us that God is there and he loves us all."
Mr Myles Ryan, from the North Circular Road, Dublin, said: "I've read her life story and it made a marvellous impression on me."
Ms Veronica Lombard, from Gorey, was an "undeserving" guest at the arrival ceremony. "A ticket fell out of the sky for me. My brother-in-law sent them down to us. I can remember, as a little one, the prayer we used to say to the Little Flower. I think it's an amazing event."
Bishop Comiskey, who is chairman of the committee organising the visit, said debates about relics had raged throughout the history of the church. Many "self-styled intellectuals" were concerned about the involvement of the "the peasantry" in events such as this.
"Listen, us people out in the heartlands, we're not as easily fooled as people who worry about us in ivory towers think," he said. "We're not going to be fooled by cleric, by politician, by theologians, by liturgists. We know love when we see it. We don't fear love, and I would love my life to be transformed like Therese's.
"Those people who worry about relics, they don't mind spending a few thousand pounds for Bono's sweater or glasses . .. Nobody here is interested in superstition or worshipping bones or even worshipping Therese. They know quite well she's an icon, she's a signpost pointing to the love of God."
Today gardai will escort the Theresemobile from Enniscorthy to Wexford town, where the reliquary will be hosted in Bride Street Church. Tomorrow it will be taken to New Ross via Cushinstown.
