The triumphant tour of the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux showed that Catholicism is alive and well in Scotland. Thousands came out to see her: the spontaneous enthusiasm of old and young demonstrated that piety draws piety. It was also a credit to the team at Sancta Familia Media, a brilliant local crew of filmmakers whose videos encouraged the high turnout. This is precisely why faith has to be public and spectacular – to capture our attention and spark the imagination.
I decided to join the relics when they visited Barlinnie prison in Glasgow. St Thérèse was a young nun who specialised in small acts of kindness. One was to pray for the conversion of a murderer who seemed beyond redemption. On the day of his execution, at the foot of the scaffold, he paused to kiss a crucifix, suggesting that God had heard Thérèse’s prayer. On that basis, it has become tradition that whenever she goes abroad, the young lady’s remains visit a prison.
