The Shrine and the Columbarium are a testament to the life and devotion of one of the most beloved saints of our time, St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
The Life St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus
She felt an early call to religious life, and overcoming various obstacles, in 1888 at the early age of 15, became a nun and joined two of her elder sisters in the cloistered Carmelite community of Lisieux, Normandy. After nine years as a Carmelite religious, having fulfilled various offices such as sacristan and assistant to the novice mistress, and having spent the last eighteen months in Carmel in a night of faith, she died of tuberculosis at the age of 24.
The impact of The Story of a Soul, a collection of her autobiographical manuscripts, printed and distributed a year after her death to an initially very limited audience was great, and she rapidly became one of the most popular saints of the twentieth century.
Pope Pius XI made her the "star of his pontificate". She was beatified in 1923, and canonized in 1925.
The Little Way
In her quest for sanctity, she believed that it was not necessary to accomplish heroic acts, or "great deeds", in order to attain holiness and to express her love of God. She wrote,
"Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love."
"For me, prayer is a movement of the heart; it is a simple glance toward Heaven; it is a cry of gratitude and love in times of trial as well as in times of joy; finally, it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus. . . . I have not the courage to look through books for beautiful prayers.... I do like a child who does not know how to read; I say very simply to God what I want to say, and He always understands me."
Thérèse lived a hidden life and "wanted to be unknown," yet became popular after her death through her spiritual autobiography - she left also letters, poems, religious plays, prayers, and her last conversations were recorded by her sisters. Paintings and photographs, mostly the work of her sister Céline, further led to her being recognised by millions of men and women.
The Shrine of St. Thérèse and Columbarium in Pasay
Visitors to the Shrine and the Columbarium can walk through the entire life of the Saint by viewing the impressive details of the structure including breathtaking stained glass art, sculptures and many more. The Shrine of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus is envisioned to be the center of devotion to the Saint in Asia.
The Shrine’s architectural style is Classical Contemporary, with a column-less interior and sleek, rounded lines. It stands at 35 meters from street level to the tip of the dome ceiling and can seat up to 1,800 people comfortably. Its aisle is 50 meters long and is ideal for weddings.
Venture to St. Thérèse and Columbarium
Manlunas Street, Barangay Villamor, Pasay City. The Light Rail Transit (LRT-1) is the fastest and cheapest way to get from Manila to Pasay. From its station in Monumento, the LRT traverses the Rizal Avenue Ext. in Caloocan going to the City of Manila all the way up to Pasay City.
Public transportation within the city, like in most of the urban areas in the Philippines, is facilitated mostly using inexpensive jeepneys and buses. Tricycles (motorbikes with an attached two seater carriage) are the usual transportation used for short distances, while Taxi cabs are used by the upper middle class. The roads are organized around a set of long narrow and circumferential roads that radiate and circle in and around the city.