Portsmouth: Relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux arrive for start of UK tour

This week St John’s Cathedral welcomes the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux. This is the first time the saint’s relics have visited Portsmouth, a town which the young Thérèse yearned to visit when still at school. Catholics from across the region and beyond are expected to visit Portsmouth in large numbers to pay homage.

Canon Dave Hopgood, of Portsmouth Catholic Cathedral, said: 'It's a great honour, not just for Catholics and Christians but it's a great honour for the city too. We are very much looking forward to it. We are expecting a lot of people but it's open to anyone.

"People will come not just from our diocese but from the whole of the south of England. She was just an ordinary person who lived an ordinary life extraordinarily well. That's the attraction she has. She was one of the great saints. Wherever you live you have got pictures of family as tangible reminders and for us the saints are reminders of Heaven and our link to God.'

Her remains are scheduled to be escorted to Portsmouth by road, via the Channel Tunnel.

 The casket containing the Saint’s relics will be on public display from 9.30 am 16 September until 10 am 17 September.

Bishop Crispian Hollis will welcomes the Relics of St Thérèse to the Cathedral at 9.30am and lead the Opening Liturgy

The Cathedral will continue to remain open for services and vigils during the twenty-six hours that St Thérèse’s relics remain in Portsmouth. For full details visit the Cathedral website on: www.PortsmouthCatholicCathedral.org.uk