A Shrine for Miracles: A Personal Trip to the National Shrine of The Little Flower

For thousands of years men and woman have made pilgrimage trips to religious shrines.

Many times these shrines are in the Holy Land or in Europe.

One modern day shrine is located in Royal Oak, Michigan, the National Shrine of the Little Flower. It's a fitting shrine to have in the United States, as it is a memorial to a modern Saint of the Catholic Church, Therese Martin. Therese, or "The Little Flower", as she is known, was born in 1873, and died at 24 years of age.

Yet, she is probably the most influential Saint in the Catholic Church of the last 500 years. She has been recognized as a "Doctor of the Church", and shares that title with such august names as Thomas Aquinas. Sainthood in the Catholic Church is, in theory, available to any member of the Church, but it is more likely that some person will achieve sainthood if they are a member of a religious order that can function as advocates for the title. Still, even with that, miracles must be directly attributed to the candidate for sainthood. No miracles, no halo.

The Catholic Church has a reputation of being a paternal organization, where men call the shots. Examining the history of the Church right back to its founder, Jesus Christ, finds a different story. Jesus himself always felt most at ease with women he was close to. His friend Martha received Jesus into her home, and he was known to be a good friend of Mary of Magdalena, a prostitute. Therese Martin, the Little Flower, has a reputation that grows each year. But to understand the shrine you must go back to the 1920's. Here is where the most modern and greatest Saint of the Church met (so to speak) a priest, Charles E. Coughlin, who understood the power of radio and modern communications in the world.

It was a perfect marriage, so to speak. Coughlin received his parish one year prior to Therese being canonized as a Saint. He named his church in her honor.

Coughlin started in radio with a simple Sunday show, and over the years became a bona fide media star, the "radio priest". He is mostly forgotten now, but today in an age of talk radio that attracts millions, Coughin's audience of all faiths was larger than the radio audiences of Rush Limbaugh, Shaun Hannity and Michael Savage, combined, when considering the percentage of people who listened and the population of the country at the time. Coughlin eventually was accused of anti-semitism, and discredited, though a careful listen to his talks and readings of his newsletter calls some of the accusations into question. It was a sensitive time, with Adolf Hitler coming to power in Germany. Coughlin may have come to close to echoing some of the Fuhrer's thoughts. Also, the Great Depression was crushing the hopes and dreams out of people, and the Coughlin railed against the social injustice of the time.

Undisputed, though, is Coughlin's effort to build a shrine to Therese. The main crux of the Little Flower's philosophy was that most people can do only "little" things on a daily basis in the way of sacrifice to bring a person more into communion with the person of Jesus Christ, who taught that the greatest thing is to "love God with all your heart and soul". What better way to love God but to show little graces to those you encounter in every day life. Not everybody could be a "soldier" for the faith, or die a martyr, or, for that matter, work in slums of Calcutta. But the way to sainthood is open to everybody who can follow the "little way" and do things for others.

It's a nice idea, but it is harder than most people think. Try it. It's easier to snipe and fight and claw to get what you want, or to be first in line. Or to get even.

I had a personal reason for visiting the Shrine. I had read Therese's autobiography years ago, and it occupies a special place on my bookshelf. I am the first to admit though that I do not follow her "little way" about 99 percent of the time. I put a dollar in the offering box and lit a candle. This was for my uncle. My uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2006. He is a priest. He has a special place in his heart for the Little Flower. During the darkest days of his illness he asked me to place my hand on his forehead and ask Therese for intercession with the Lord. I felt a little strange doing this, as I am a far candidate for sainthood, but I did so, religiously every night before leaving the hospital, whether my uncle was conscious or not.

Now months later he is not showing any signs of cancer. A miracle? I don't know. Time will tell. But maybe we can take our "miracles" in little ways and only one day at a time.

The National Shrine of the Little Flower should be on the pilgrimage trail for anyone interested in spirituality and faith. Therese has followers of all religions because of her universal message. While at the shrine you can visit the church, which is ornate and beautiful, spend time in the peaceful Garden Grotto Area, and contemplate the Stations of the Cross, which depict Jesus Christ's passion and death.

Royal Oak is a trendy place, with many small shops and unique restaurants. There is also an active nightlife. If you visit the Detroit, you can make a day of it in Royal Oak, remembering that at one time it the Shrine of the Little Flower and Charles Coughlin, the radio priest offered hope and guidance during those dark and trying days of the Great Depression.

The National Shrine of the Little Flower, 2123 Roseland Avenue, Royal Oak, Michigan, 248.541.4122, is open seven days a week. Mass is available everyday, with a Spanish Mass the first Sunday of the Month, at 4:00pm.