“And the heart rejoices, and the heart rejoices,” said Sister Dulcissima whenever she felt joy. I am convinced that the handmaid of God is happy with us today about the event that took place in Brzezie on October 3, 2021.
Well, on Sunday, October 3, in our parish church dedicated to the holy Apostles Matthew and Matthias in Brzezie, at 10.30 we thanked for the gift of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, asking God for the intentions of the most lost souls. Helena Hoffmann’s spiritual friendship with the Carmelite Saint began in her early childhood and continued throughout her life. It was little Teresa who prompted Helena to pray and offer herself. Sr. Dulcissima’s first biographer, Redemptorist, Fr. Józef Schweter, notes: “In accordance with the wishes of the Saint of Lisieux, Helena should have offered herself for the Church, for priests and for the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate.” Therefore, it was Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus who watched that Helen’s vocation would grow and develop for the greater glory of God and for the benefit of people. Saint Teresa of Lisieux appeared in Helena’s dream and then also led Sr. Dulcissima, stimulating her to love God and her neighbor. Meetings with Teresa always took place in an atmosphere of deep joy. By offering her sufferings for the Church and priests, for sinners and the souls in Purgatory, and for her own religious family, and by practicing humility and spiritual poverty throughout her life, Sr. M. Dulcissima became a faithful follower of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus. And whoever met Saint Teresa and our sister Dulcissima will certainly admit that these two nuns shared the same passion for saving souls for the Savior. Their biographies are remarkably similar. I will briefly mention that both sisters walked the path of God’s childhood, still offering Heavenly Father grateful spiritual flowers.
Thus, bringing the relics of St. Teresa of Lisieux to the monastery in Brzezie is not only an installation of a reliquary in the monastic chapel. It is an INVITATION of the Carmelite Saint to live (register) permanently in a place that she has always watched over with God’s consent.
And if we invite you to the guest’s house … we had to be well prepared to welcome such an important person. Thus, the nine-day novena introduced us to the time of permanent formation, which became a closer preparation for receiving the relics of St. Teresa in our monastery. Fr. prelate Teodor Suchoń, retired custodian of the sanctuary of St. Teresa in Chwałowice, ardent devotee of the Carmelite nun.
We were glad that our sisters from nearby Racibórz, Branice or Wrocław were also with us. On that day, also courtesy of Fr. Teodor also hosted the relics of the Holy Spouses Zelie and Ludwik Martin, and in this way the Holy Parents accompanied Saint Teresa in such an important event for us. At the end of the Holy Mass, Fr. Theodore blessed the roses, which are a sign of the favors asked for through St. Teresa.
The saint from Lisieux, before her death, said: “I want to do good on earth while I am in heaven. After I die, I will rain down roses. ”
Beautiful, consecrated roses held by children, teenagers, adults, and the Sisters of Mary Immaculate, shaped the procession of roses leading to the convent of the awaited Little Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.
and the heart rejoices and the heart rejoices
Sr. M. Margaret Cur