Du 19 Sep 2026 to Oct 04 2026

Due to the visit of Pope Leo XIV to France from Friday 25 to Monday 28 September, the Sanctuary of Lisieux has decided to open the Feasts of Saint Thérèse the weekend before in order to allow pilgrims from Lisieux and all the faithful of the Catholic Church to fully experience these two events in prayer.

An opening weekend to prepare for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV in France

With the agreement of the Carmelite nuns of Lisieux, the inaugural torchlit procession of the relics of Saint Thérèse, from the Carmel to the Basilica, will take place on Saturday, September 19, at 20:30 p.m., presided over by our guest of honor, Bishop Antoine Audo, Bishop of Aleppo of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Syria, with whom we will pray for peace. On Sunday, September 20, the reliquary will visit Saint Peter's Cathedral in procession for Vespers.

This new opening weekend of an unprecedented Theresian fortnight will be an opportunity to pray for the apostolic journey of the Holy Father, through the intercession of Saint Thérèse, secondary patron saint of France, alongside the Virgin Mary and Saint Joan of Arc.

Following the Pope in France to visit the relics of Saint Thérèse

From September 25 to 28, the Sanctuary of Lisieux will join the major celebrations taking place in Paris and Lourdes with the Church of France by broadcasting KTO live on the Basilica's giant screens, as close as possible to the reliquary.

The Sanctuary is awaiting details on the Holy Father's movements to finalize the activities for this weekend (vigil, possible procession, sale of roses, etc.).

A second week full of events to celebrate Saint Thérèse every day

The week of Monday, September 28th to Sunday, October 4th remains unchanged. The program for these days will be announced before the summer. And it will reveal some surprises…

The traditional Thérèse colloquium will be held on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd September.

The large reliquary of Saint Thérèse will therefore be exceptionally present in the heart of the Basilica of Lisieux for two weeks. All the teams at the sanctuary are delighted to celebrate these Thérèse festivities for the intentions of the Pope.