It was a Sunday, January 22, 2023. My mom and I were at the church of Santa Teresita del Niño Jesus to attend the mass. This church is located on De Leon and Quezon Streets in Iloilo City in the Philippines.
We were in Iloilo City to enjoy the Dinagyang Festival that weekend, and the closest church to our hotel was the church of Santa Teresita del Niño Jesus or Saint Therese of the Child Jesus (read Dinagyang blog here).
At first, we were worried that we would not be able to get inside the church because of the street closures, including the one at the church's intersection. Luckily, the mass was too early in the morning and the road by the church was still open to public transport.
During the mass, it was announced that the pilgrim relic of Saint Therese would be arriving in this church by the end of February, and we thought of traveling back to Iloilo City to be there when it arrived.
Perhaps, our prayers that Sunday mass inside the church dedicated to her were heard by Saint Therese herself. Because as we later realized, it seems she made miracles happen, one by one, through the visit of her pilgrim relic in the Philippines and through her intercession for those who ask her help.
The Miracle of Her Visit
We considered traveling back to Iloilo City on the day when Saint Therese's relic was scheduled to arrive in the church dedicated to her. But when I checked the schedule and parishes her relic was visiting, we were surprised that it included our parish! We did not have to pack our clothes, book a hotel, and ride a ferry to Iloilo City! Saint Therese was visiting our parish on March 2!
The Miracle of the Red Roses
Days before her relic was to arrive at the Our Lady of Victory Parish, our parish, I looked for roses at the local flower shop and vendors as I planned to have the flower kiss her reliquary. Roses are Saint Therese's flowers.
But since her reliquary was visiting the parishes in Bacolod City first, the vendors sold their roses there. I resigned to the idea that I would simply use other kinds of flowers that would be available.
But on the day her relic was to arrive, a miracle of roses! A dozen roses to be exact! A thoughtful 'tita' surprised me with a dozen red roses from Bacolod City! I was ecstatic! Of course, I immediately realized that it was a miracle of Saint Therese herself. When I thought I was just going to find me some white flowers at the shop that they usually make for funeral wreaths, Saint Therese sent me the flower that was special to her - red roses!
Of all those waiting for the relic at our parish, I was the only one with red roses! I felt like, even before she arrived and of all the parishioners, Saint Therese blessed me with these flowers!😋
The Miracle of the Clear Skies
Hours before her relic arrived at the Our Lady of Victory Parish church at noon, the skies were gloomy and it was even drizzling.
The parishioners who were waiting for her at the church's entrance were worried about the weather as people lined up the streets and were at the entrance of the church to welcome her. That time, her relic was still at the San Diego Cathedral in Silay City and was about to leave for our parish. Her visit to the parishes were livestreamed by the social media reporters of the Diocese of Bacolod, so everyone knew real-time when it left Silay City.
And moments before her relic arrived, it seemed that somebody parted the gray clouds over our hometown, the drizzling stopped, and out came blue skies. Everyone noticed this, even our parish priest, Father Mitch Guadalupe.
For us, it was a miracle, a miracle of the clear skies, which we believed made her visit to our parish, here in a little known corner of the world, a success.
And to make things even more special, I was able to have my bouquet of red roses kiss the reliquary with the help of Fr. Jake of the military ordinariate, a group of military men who accompanied the relic of Saint Therese as it traveled all over the Philippines.
The Miracle of My Healed Wrist
Even before I miraculously received the bouquet of red roses, I already planned to preserve them and have them laminated with a printed prayer to Saint Therese.
So, on the weekend when I was carefully peeling each petal from the stem in order to have them pressed inside a heavy book, I thought of rubbing a rose on my right wrist which I injured the day before.
A day after her visit, I played tennis with the kids at the local public school where I volunteered. Although it was rare, I suffered a minor wrist injury. There was pain on my right wrist when I got home that night; I couldn't lift heavy things with my right hand.
So, while I was handling the roses, I rubbed a rose on my right wrist and said a little prayer. And I forgot all about it.
The next day, when I was moving around at home with my laptop, I realized that I was carrying it with my right arm with no pain at all! My injured wrist got healed!
Our Personal Miracles
A few days after her visit in Bacolod City, a Carmelite nun told me a miracle when one lady lost her phone at the Carmelite monastery in Bacolod City where the relic stayed overnight. You can just imagine hundreds of the faithful who went to visit her. The lady was frantic about her phone and told everyone about it. She prayed for the saint's intercession so that her phone would be found. Minutes later, it was!
And on the morning after I laminated the red roses with a printed prayer to Saint Therese, I sat quietly and read the prayer, mentioning my intentions. Later that day, I could not believe she immediately granted my intention - the one thing that I had been worrying weeks before. Saint Therese made it happen that day. I guess one just have to put his or her faith in the prayer to Saint Therese, and she would interceded for us in heaven.😋
It has been months since the pilgrim relic of Saint Therese visited the various parishes and dioceses in the Philippines, but I hope her visit touched many lives and brought many more closer to God.🙏
#SaintTherese #SantaTeresita #pilgrim #pilgrimrelic #relic #Catholic #SaintThereseofLisieux
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