October 14 – 15, 2025
Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel
“I would like to travel over the whole earth to preach the Gospel.”
— St. Thérèse of Lisieux
St. Thérèse’s reliquary first visited the United States 25 years ago, when over 1 million people turned out at 130 stops in 25 states. Many of these churches witnessed the largest crowds in their history. This year’s centenary visit of her holy relics, which commences on October 1, is likely to exceed those numbers. On this tour, the College is one stop of 40 across 11 states, and one of 9 in California. See the full tour schedule.
As the College’s patron, St. Thomas Aquinas, noted, “It is manifest that we should show honor to the saints of God … Wherefore in memory of them we ought to honor any relics of theirs in a fitting manner: principally their bodies, which were temples, and organs of the Holy Ghost dwelling and operating in them, and are destined to be likened to the body of Christ by the glory of the Resurrection.”
We invite all to come and spend spiritual time in prayer and reflection before the Little Flower’s reliquary!
Schedule
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Tuesday, October 14 |
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4:00 p.m. |
Arrival and welcoming ceremony. Campus gates open to visitors. |
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5:00 p.m. |
Votive Mass of St. Thérèse (Ordinary Form with Rev. Matthias Lambrecht, OCD) |
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6:30 p.m. |
Presentation on St. Thérèse by the Carmelites |
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9:15 p.m. |
Evening Prayer, Rosary, Compline |
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10:30 p.m. |
Campus gates close to visitors. |
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Wednesday, October 15 |
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6:00 a.m. |
Campus gates open to visitors. Veneration of relics resumes. |
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7:00 a.m. |
Mass (Extraordinary Form), Feast of St. Teresa of Avila |
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8:00 a.m. |
Presentation on St. Thérèse by the Carmelites |
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11:00 a.m. |
Presentation on St. Thérèse by the Carmelites |
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11:15 a.m. |
Mass (Ordinary Form) |
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1:30 p.m. |
Presentation on St. Thérèse by the Carmelites |
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3:00 p.m. |
Chaplet of Divine Mercy |
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3:15 p.m. |
Farewell to St. Thérèse. Reliquary departs to Santa Teresita in Duarte, California. |
About St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as “The Little Flower,” was born on January 2, 1873, in Alençon, France, as the youngest of nine children. Her parents, Louis and Zélie Martin, were devout Catholics who had a deep commitment to their faith. At the age of four, Thérèse experienced a profound loss when her mother passed away after a long illness. She was from then raised by her father and the two eldest of her four surviving sisters, Pauline and Marie. At just 15, Thérèse made the decision to join the Carmelite order in Lisieux and took the name “Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.”
Thérèse’s spirituality was unique in its emphasis on small, everyday acts of love, which she called the “Little Way.” She believed that holiness could be found in the simplest acts, done with love and humility, regardless of one’s circumstances or external achievements, and saw herself as a child in the arms of God, confident in His love and goodness.
During her final years, she suffered from tuberculosis and died on September 30, 1897, at the young age of 24. Throughout her illness, Thérèse continued to offer her suffering to God, believing that even her pain could be a means of drawing closer to Christ. Her writings from this time reflect her deep spiritual insights, and many of them were later compiled into her autobiography, Story of a Soul. In 1925, Pope Pius XI canonized her as a saint, and in 1997, Pope St. John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church, making her one of only 36 individuals to receive this distinction.
To learn more about St. Thérèse, her canonization, and miracles, check out these books:
- St. Thérèse’s autobiography, Story of a Soul
- The story of her canonization, appointment as a Doctor of the Church, and her relics’ journey around the globe: I Would Like to Travel the World: Thérèse of Lisieux: Miracle-Worker, Doctor, and Missionary, by Guy Gaucher
- A collection of miracles attributed to her: A Shower of Roses, by Camille Burette
- St. Thérèse’s Eucharistic miracle: Something New with St. Thérèse, by Suzie Andres (’87)
Visitor Information
Visitors are welcome on campus to venerate the relics beginning on Tuesday, October 14, when they arrive at 4:00 p.m. until the gates close at 10:30 p.m., and on Wednesday, October 15, between 6:00 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Please stay within the designated areas, as classes will be in session.
Large parish and school groups may contact the College’s Admissions visit coordinator to secure a spot in the Designated Group Line.
Directions & Campus Map
The College is located at 10,000 Ojai Road in Santa Paula, California. | Directions
Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel is located at location #14, and visitor parking is available behind the athletic field (#b) and at the Pope St. John Paul II Athletic Center (#20):
| Campus Buildings | |||
| 1 | St. Augustine Hall (classrooms) | 12 | St. Gladys Hall (classrooms) |
| 2 | Albertus Magnus Science Hall | 13 | St. Cecilia Lecture & Concert Hall |
| 3 | St. Joseph Commons | Ken & Joyce Skinner Coffee Shop | |
| 4 | St. Katherine of Alexandria Hall | 14 | Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel |
| 5 | St. Bernard of Clairvaux Hall | 15 | St. Thomas Hall (adminstration / faculty) |
| 6 | Guest Lodging | Bookstore | |
| 7 | St. Thérèse of Lisieux Hall | 16 | Stations of the Cross |
| 8 | St. Monica Hall | 17 | Gate House |
| 9 | Sts. Peter and Paul Hall | 18 | Hacienda |
| 10 | St. Junipero Serra Hall | 19 | Loyola Hall |
| 11 | St. Bernardine of Siena Library | 20 | Pope St. John Paul II Athletic Center |
| Parking & Recreation | |||
| a | Tennis/Basketball courts | b | Athletic field |
| c | Hacienda ponds | d | Founders Plaza |
| e | St. Gladys Plaza | P | Parking |
Printable version (PDF)
About Thomas Aquinas College
Thomas Aquinas College is a four-year, Catholic liberal arts college with a fully-integrated curriculum composed of the Great Books, the seminal works in the major disciplines by the great thinkers who have helped shape Western civilization. There are no textbooks, no lectures and no electives. Instead, under the guidance of faculty members and using only the Discussion Method in classes of no more than 20, students read and discuss the original works of authors such as Euclid, Dante, Galileo, Descartes, the American Founding Fathers, Adam Smith, Shakespeare, Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, Aristotle, Plato, St. Augustine, and of course, St. Thomas Aquinas. Graduates consistently excel in the many world-class institutions at which they pursue graduate degrees in fields such as law, medicine, business, theology and education. They have distinguished themselves serving as lawyers, doctors, business owners, priests, military service men and women, educators, journalists and college presidents.
