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| Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus |
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| Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus |
In 1625 Fr. Paul Simon of Jesus Mary, Superior General of
the Discalced Carmelite Order, ordained the preparations necessary
for the establishment of a House in the Island of Malta. And in the
beginning of the following year, an International College of
missionary formation was opened in the city of Cospicua, and the
Friars became popularly known as "the
Teresians".
It was not until over 270 years later that the Maltese
Teresians opened their monastery in Birkirkara with an adjacent
small Church dedicated to St. Alphonse Maria de Liguori. But,
because of the ever growing population of Birkirkara and the
surrounding villages, this Church had to be enlarged more than
once, until in the fifties of this century the Teresians began thinking
of building a totally new Church dedicated to St.
Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
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| Aerial view of the Sanctuary of St.Thérèse of the Child Jesus |
The result was the new Sanctuary according to the design of
Professor Giorgio Pacini of Rome. The Sanctuary was opened and
blessed on the 9th of July 1982. It is a large modern Rotunda that
complies with the liturgical reform of Vatican II.
Its dimensions are: diameter 40 metres; the presbytery's diameter
10 metres; the two side chapels' diameter about 12 metres, whilst
the highest central part of the Church is 30 metres and the side
belfry 40 metres high. An inner Matroneo runs around the whole
Sanctuary. It is considered to be one of the most functionable large
Churches in Malta, so much so that it is used by many
organisations for their national meetings. And it is really packed
with worshippers on Sundays and Holy days of obligation
throughout the whole year.
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| The Urn of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus |
The central focus of devotion is the Urn of St.
Thérèse of the Child Jesus, which was brought to
Malta on the 4th March 1960 in preparation for the erection of the
Sanctuary. Of special interest is the fact that the black veil of the
Saint's image in this Urn was prepared by the Saint's sister
Céline (Soeur Geneviève de la Sainte-Façe)
who was still living at the time and sent her best wishes from
Lisieux. She was even instrumental in inspiring the Lisieux nuns to
donate to the Malta Sanctuary a brick from their Infirmary, where
the Saint had died, as well as the Mass Vestments used on the day
of the Saint's reception of the Black Veil.
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| The main altar during the feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus |
As a result, the devotion to the Little Flower in Malta is widespread
among the still fervently Catholic population of more than 300,000
inhabitants - in fact one of the most densely populated regions in
Europe. And, since Birkirkara is situated in the middle of the
rather small Island of Malta, it is easily reached from all parts of
the Maltese territory. And St. Thérèse is keeping
her promise of showering her roses of divine graces also on the
Maltese devotees and followers of her Little Way.
Back to the Teresian Carmel