The visit of the relics of St Therese was a monumental occasion in the life of the church in Scotland. In addition to learning about the Little Way in class, many of our pupils made personal and family visits to the relics and as a school, a large group made a pilgrimage to the Cathedral to venerate and reflect. Our Caritas pupils stepped up to plate and led one of the services that was arranged for school groups , a presentation which met with the approval of Archbishop Tartaglia.
After learning about relics, the young people were prompted to touch their rosary beads to the relics of St Therese so that they would become a third class relic for personal devotion. One young lady decided that since she had touched the reliquary, she was now a first class relic! After a chuckle, we realised that this is, of course the lesson that we learn from St Therese– that each of us should become ‘first class relics’ because we are created to be saints. The pupils were struck by the reverence and prayerfulness of the occasion and commented that learning about the life of such a young saint– a Doctor of the Church, no less– they appreciated that it is possible for each of us to live a life of virtue.
