The National Shrine of Saint Thérèse in Darien, Illinois, is one of the most beloved Carmelite pilgrimage sites in North America, set on forty-six acres of beautifully maintained woodland and gardens that provide a setting of extraordinary natural peace for prayer and reflection. Operated by the Carmelite Friars of the Chicago Province, the shrine is dedicated to Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face — known universally as the Little Flower — whose autobiography, The Story of a Soul, has made her one of the most widely read and deeply loved saints in the history of Christianity. Thérèse Martin was born in Alençon, France, in 1873 and died of tuberculosis in the Carmelite convent of Lisieux in 1897, aged twenty-four. In those few years she developed a spiritual doctrine of startling originality: the "little way" of spiritual childhood, which taught that holiness was available to ordinary people in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life, through small acts performed with extraordinary love. Pope Pius X called her "the greatest saint of modern times." She was canonised in 1925 and declared a Doctor of the Church — the thirty-third Doctor, and only the third woman — by Pope John Paul II in 1997. The Darien shrine possesses an authenticated relic of Saint Thérèse, a point of great significance for pilgrims who seek contact with the physical remains of a saint whose intercession is regarded as particularly powerful. The shrine chapel, the outdoor Stations of the Cross, the woodland paths and the meditation gardens together create an environment that embodies the spirit of the Little Flower — accessible, gentle, free of pretension, and saturated with quiet love.
Possesses an authenticated relic of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the "Little Flower" and Doctor of the Church
Set on forty-six acres of wooded grounds in the Chicago suburbs, creating an environment of natural peace and beauty
Operated by the Carmelite Friars, the religious order to which Saint Thérèse herself belonged
A replica of the Lourdes grotto, which Thérèse visited as a child, stands within the grounds
The feast of Saint Thérèse on 1 October is one of the most widely celebrated in the Catholic calendar
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: The Little Flower
Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin was the youngest of nine children born to Louis and Zélie Martin, themselves canonised as a couple in 2015 — making the Martin family unique in Catholic history as a family of saints. Thérèse entered the Carmel of Lisieux at the remarkably young age of fifteen, having obtained special papal permission to do so. She spent nine years within those walls, performing the most ordinary duties of convent life with a love she described as heroic in its very smallness.
Her autobiography, written under obedience to her prioress, was initially published in a small edition distributed among Carmelite convents. Within years of her death it had been translated into dozens of languages and was being read around the world. Her "little way" — doing small things with great love, trusting in God's mercy rather than one's own merit — resonated with millions who found the traditional models of heroic virtue beyond their reach. She promised before her death: "I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth. I will let fall a shower of roses." Reports of miraculous answers to prayer, symbolised by the scent of roses appearing without natural explanation, began almost immediately after her death.
The Carmelite Shrine at Darien
The Carmelite Friars established the shrine at Darien in the 1930s, developing the wooded property into a place of pilgrimage that has grown steadily in importance over the following decades. The forty-six-acre site includes the shrine chapel, a meditation garden, the outdoor Stations of the Cross set through the woodland, a gift shop with devotional materials, and a pilgrim centre.
The shrine chapel houses an authenticated relic of Saint Thérèse — a fragment of her remains — enclosed in a reliquary that is a focal point of veneration for pilgrims. Votive candles burn before her image throughout the day. The Carmelite community at the shrine maintains a prayer petition ministry, and the feast of Saint Thérèse on 1 October is celebrated with particular solemnity.
The Grounds and Gardens
The natural beauty of the Darien property is itself part of the pilgrimage experience. Thérèse loved nature and saw in it a reflection of God's tender love for humanity; the woodland paths and gardens of the shrine invite a walking meditation that is in keeping with her spirit. In spring and summer the gardens are particularly beautiful, and autumn — when the oak and maple woodland turns to gold and crimson — brings its own characteristic quality of contemplation.
A replica of the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, which Thérèse herself visited as a child and at whose statue she experienced her first great mystical consolation, stands within the grounds and provides an additional focus for Marian devotion.
Visiting
The shrine is open year-round and is freely accessible to all visitors. Guided group retreats can be arranged with the Carmelite community. The feast of Saint Thérèse on 1 October brings large numbers of pilgrims. The shrine is easily accessible from Chicago, located in the western suburbs near Interstate 55.