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The relics of the “Little Flower” which toured around England and Wales came to Aylesford, the historic priory that was founded in 1242 by hermits from Mount Carmel. Arriving in October the relics were greeted by a substantial crowd, led by the Prior General, Most Reverend Fernando Millán Romeral; the Prior Provincial of the British Province, Very Reverend Wilfrid McGreal; the Prior of Aylesford, Father Brendan Grady; and a large number of friars. The Archbishop of Southwark, Most Reverend Kevin McDonald presided at an open-air Mass at the shrine for some 9,000 people. The Councillor General for Europe, Very Reverend John Keating, preached at the Mass. During the day it is estimated that some 13,000 people were present to venerate the relics. On the closing day, the Prior General presided at a Mass with some 5,000 people present and in the afternoon the relics departed for the Discalced Carmelite parish of Kensington in London. At the same time the relics were present, there was also a retreat led by Father Bob Colaresi, Father Fernando Millán Romeral, Father Joseph Chalmers and Father Kevin Alban for some 70 people who wished to find out about Saint Therese and reflect on her message. [ Gift (continued from page 17) attended the Feast Day Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Darien, Illinois. At the end of the Mass, we lined up to venerate the relics of Saint Therese. At her turn, Lupita asked if she could hold up the relic of Saint Therese next to her abdomen for a second, briefly explaining the reason to the priest. She later explained to me that after coming back to her seat, she sensed as if something had been snatched from her; all she could do at the moment was cry. During the next couple of days she experienced some minor discomfort, but not enough to warrant even a call to the doctor, much less a trip to the emergency room. As we went to the October 16th appointment, we struggled between hope that the cyst was gone, and resignation if it was God’s will that we go ahead with the surgery. With my untrained eyes I looked at the ultrasound monitor, looking for the huge dark mass, but could only see a small dark circle. Perhaps the technician needed to zoom in? But she did not. I paid attention Carmelite Review to the measurements she was taking, but she never wrote down a double-digit number. Perhaps I missed it? During all of those five minutes, Lupita, clutching her rosary, did not even look at the monitor. A few moments later, the specialist, having examined the ultrasound images, came in simply to tell us that we could go home. The cyst had shrunk to a mere 4 cm and would probably keep shrinking. It no longer posed any threat to either mother or child. The question of malignancy became irrelevant, and surgery was no longer needed. We were moved and grateful beyond words. Saint Therese had sent us a rose from her shower of roses. We believe it quietly happened on her Feast Day. As if that was not enough, Lupita’s doctor requested another ultrasound that she herself would do. She could not believe that such a large cyst would simply shrink so much without hardly any symptoms. We needed no more confirmation, but if it meant giving witness to the doctor of the power of prayer, we consented. The visit not only confirmed to the doctor that something very unusual had happened, it also strengthened our faith. The cyst had now shrunk down to 3 cm, and the doctor wondered where all the fluid inside the large cyst had gone. Lupita had experienced none of the severe pain that the doctor expected if the fluid leaked out. Not able to find another explanation, she also concluded that this had happened through prayer. To devotees of Saint Therese, graces received through her intercession are quite commonplace. And yet, every time we learn of another miracle, we rejoice in knowing that our beloved Sister is still hard at work “spending [her] heaven doing good upon earth.” My wife and I can testify to this. D (Editor’s note: We welcome Jorge Mora to the staff of Carmelite Media. Jorge brings both journalistic skills and bilingual capabilities—a perfect complement to the existing team.)
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