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Today, the basilica is a city landmark and a thriving parish dedicated to carrying out the mission of its patron, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, known as the Little Flower, to enact change in the community through little acts of love.
Celebrant for the 75th anniversary liturgy was Archbishop José H. Gomez, and the homilist was Father Gregory Ross, OCD, provincial of the Oklahoma Province of St. Thérèse.
In his homily, Father Ross offered his heartiest congratulations to the Carmelite friars, staff and parishioners of Little Flower. “For 75 years now, by the grace of God, Little Flower Basilica has occupied a place in the heart of the church in San Antonio. Since 1931, the many Discalced Carmelites who have faithfully served the people of San Antonio at the basilica have promoted the spirituality and mission of St. Thérèse by themselves striving to be witnesses to the love in the heart of their mother, the church. For 80 years, even before the construction of the basilica, the friars had created a parish community comprised of laity, families, consecrated religious, secular Carmelites and the Holy Spirit Sisters, school children and teachers of Little Flower School,” Father Ross noted.
Father Ross also mentioned that, at one point in its history, the basilica even welcomed the cloistered Discalced Carmelite nuns of Durango, México, when they were forced to flee to the Alamo city because of religious persecution South of the border. This community of nuns continues today at a monastery on Culebra Avenue.
But, said the Carmelite provincial, the center and source of the life and history of Little Flower Basilica is incarnate love himself, Jesus Christ. “The mission of the basilica is to be a place of encounter with God, as well as to be a center for the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of merciful love that St. Thérèse proclaimed during her brief life on earth,” he said. “Blessed be God for the many graces and blessings he has showered on his children throughout the years at Little Flower Basilica through the intercession of the basilica’s patronesses, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Thérèse.”
In concluding remarks, the friar thanked the many Discalced Carmelite friars, religious and parishioners who dedicated themselves to the mission of the basilica.
According to a history of the Basilica of the Little Flower, just one year after Thérèse was canonized in 1926, a group of friars from the Order of Discalced Carmelites arrived in San Antonio to establish the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Thérèse.
That same year the friars received permission to establish a National Shrine to Thérèse in San Antonio. With that, a national fundraising campaign was set in motion.
Thousands of donations from all over the world would make it possible for many tangible expressions of great love to adorn the Spanish, neo-colonial architecture of one of the most magnificent churches in all of the Southwest.
The façade of the basilica features two towers, in the belfry of that taller of the two structures are six bronze bells originating from Coblenz, Germany, which is known for producing the finest bells in the world. The north tower is crowned with a thousand pound bronze likeness of St. Thérèse, who appears to be gazing lovingly toward the center of San Antonio. The imposing limestone monument is capped by a Spanish-style dome.
Inside, a larger than life three dimensional sculpture above the main altar depicts the fulfillment of St. Thérèse’s promise to spend her time in heaven doing good upon the earth.
This artwork, titled “The Gloria,” was hand carved and painted at the Casa de Pepe studio in Valencia, Spain. With the cross of salvation at its center, the heavenly scene shows St. Thérèse receiving graces in the form of roses from Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the baby Jesus. A choir of angels heralds the blessings about to be sent down most especially to the citizens of the United States.
The sanctuary of the basilica is also graced by an ornate high altar made of carrera marble from Italy. Hand carved by master craftsman Louis Rodriguez of San Antonio, the altar features onyx columns and inlaid mosaics of the four evangelists. The mosaic on the pedestal of the altar shows the Prophet Elijah receiving life-saving bread and water from an angel of God.
The greatest tribute to St. Thérèse within the basilica is the reproduction of the sepulcher of the one in Lisieux, France, which contains a likeness of the way St. Thérèse looked after her death. Like the original in Lisieux, the sepulcher is made of hand-carved wood, which has been covered in gold leaf.
Within the gated chapel is a panorama of the life story of St. Thérèse executed in stained glass by the Emil Frei Stained Glass Company of St. Louis, Mo.
First class relics of the saint are contained within a ring on the left hand of the statue of Thérèse, and, also, at the center of a reliquary in the form of a wooden cross surrounded by a wreath of roses, which stands in front of the tabernacle door in the tomb chapel.
The golden iron gate at the entrance of the tomb chapel is the work of artisan and master craftsman Theo Voss, known throughout the Southwest for his intricate iron work. From the iron work at the marble to the stained glass to the mosaics and stations of the cross, the rose motif is woven into every aspect of the basilica’s fine appointments.
A stained glass window at the base of the basilica’s dome features 24 red roses falling from heaven, one for each year of St. Thérèse’s short life on earth.
Images of Elijah on the altar and in a stained glass window depicting his being taken up to heaven on a whirlwind riding a fiery chariot and horses remind us of Elijah’s abode on Mount Carmel, one of the earliest places of religious life.
The 13th century hermits who patterned their religious life after Elijah were first known as the Brothers of the Virgin Mary before they became the friars of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
It was Elijah, who had a vision of the nativity of the Blessed Mother a full 800 years before her birth. The vision also revealed that Mary would give birth to the Messiah.
The lives of Elijah, the Blessed Mother and Jesus Christ inspired and influenced the writings of two of the greatest mystics that ever lived, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, who together founded the Discalced Carmelite Order. The two Spanish saints were both named doctors of the church.
The two sets of stained glass windows that flank the nave of the basilica reveal elements of the mystical teachings of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross, considered to be the leaders of contemplative prayer.
The Carmelite philosophy of leading others to God together with the influence of her parents, both devout Catholics, enabled Thérèse to offer her life to God at an early age.
The Spanish friars who first came to San Antonio in 1926 by way of Torreon, México to establish the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel possessed the same passion and desire to serve others as St. Thérèse.
Ongoing construction includes the restoration of the undercroft (basement) of the basilica and the addition of the St. Elias Adoration Chapel, which is positioned directly beneath the Tomb Chapel of St. Thérèse.
A 75th anniversary celebration gala will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4. Honorees will include Elvira Cisneros, Patricia Diaz Dennis, Amelia Duran and Linda Hardberger. Ticket and table reservations are now being taken, and more information can be obtained by calling (210) 734-4002 or e-mail julyrestoration@sbcglobal.net. |