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| Gallipoli celebrates the 1st centenary of the confirmation of the Little Way of Saint Therese |
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Communicationes
Gallipoli (24-01-2010).- The celebration of the 1st Centenary of the “Confirmation of the Little Way” of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus in the Italian town of Gallipoli brought together a good number of the faithful, as well as friends of Carmel and the saint from Lisieux, in a week packed with events.
The arrival of the urn with the relics of the Saint, on 9th January, marked the beginning of the celebrations for the “miraculous event” which happened in the monastery of the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Gallipoli. On the 16th, the date of the apparition of saint Therese, the celebrations concluded with a ceremony at which presided the General, Fr Saverio Cannistrà.
Among the events during the celebrations were the “Little Way” exhibition set up in the Diocesan museum; days centred on the family, the youth, the aggregated laity; days for vocations, for those who are suffering, priests and religious life, as well as a series of lectures on St Therese’s Little Way of spiritual childhood. Among those present was the Provincial of the Discalced Carmelites of Naples, Fr Enzo Caiffa.
Among those giving conferences was the Belgian Discalced Carmelite, Fr Conrad de Meester, who spoke on “The Discovery of the Little Way”. Another Discalced Carmelite, François Marie Lethél, lectured on “Teresa, Doctor of the Little Way”. Fr Dámaso Zuazua presented “The Little Way and Missionaries”, while Fr Luigi Gaetani spoke about “The Confirmation of the Little Way: the miracle of Gallipoli”. Fr Louis Menville, an official of the Congregation for the Clergy, explained “The Little Way and Priests” and Fr Enzo Caiffa centred his lecture on “The Little Way and Consecrated Life.”
“My way is secure”
The enigmatical expression “my way is secure and I did not go astray following it”, said at the end of the apparition which took place in the monastery of Discalced Carmelite nuns of Gallipoli on the night of January 16, 1910, alluded to Saint Therese’s little way of spiritual childhood.
At first, the Carmelite nuns themselves were not able to understand the significance of these words coming from the mouth of a young Carmelite nun, who had died just 13 years before in a far distant monastery at Lisieux in French Normandy. Neither did they understand what was meant by the “confirmation of her little way of spiritual childhood”.
Mother Carmela, the prioress of the monastery at that time and witness to the apparition, related the miraculous event which was documented in the process of beatification of the “greatest saint of modern times”.
Story of the miracle
“On the night of January 16, I was feeling quite sick and was also preoccupied by the difficulties through which we were going. It was three o’clock in the morning, and almost at the end of my strength, I lay on the bed in order to breathe a little easier and afterwards I went to sleep. Then I had a dream and felt a hand touch me, and placing the sheet over my face, covering me with delicacy.
I thought it was one of the sisters of the community who wanted to do me this act of love and without opening my eyes I said, “Leave me alone, I am sweating.”
Then a sweet voice unknown to me said, “No, what I am doing is something good,” and covering me again said, “Look, God is served just as much by celestial dwellers as by terrestrial in helping his servants. Here are 500 liras with which you can pay the community’s debt.”
I replied that the community’s debt was only 300 liras and she said to me, “I agree. The change will be a little extra. But as you cannot keep the money in the cell, come with me.”
I thought, “How can I get up since I am drenched in sweat?” Then the celestial vision, knowing what I was thinking, added with a smile, “Bilocation will come to our aid.” In an instant I found myself outside the cell in the company of a young Carmelite sister, from whose veil and habit issued a light from paradise which illuminated the way.
She led me to the turn room and had me open the wooden box in which was placed the invoice for the community’s debt and there she placed 500 liras. I contemplated her with a deep feeling of admiration and then I prostrated myself to thank her, saying, “Oh, my Holy Mother!” But she helped me to get up and embracing me with tenderness replied, “I am not our Holy Mother, I am the servant of God, Sister Therese of Lisieux. Today both heaven and earth are celebrating the holy name of Jesus.” Moved and not knowing what to say, I exclaimed, more with my heart than with my lips, “Oh my mother....”, but I could not continue on.
Then the celestial sister, after having placed her hand on my veil, as though to adjust it, and having given me a fraternal caress, went slowly away.
“Wait,” I said to her, “you do not know the way”. She replied to me with a celestial smile, “No, no, my way is secure and I did not go astray in following it.”
I woke up and, despite my tiredness, I got up and went down to the choir and received communion.
The sisters were looking at me and seeing something unusual wanted to call the doctor. When I went through the sacristy, the two sacristans kept asking me what was wrong. These also wanted to know why I was out of bed and wanted to call the doctor.
To avoid this I told them I had had a dream which had really shaken me and I told them about it in simplicity. These two nuns then wanted to go to open the box, but I said to them that you should not believe in dreams. Finally, giving in to their insistence, I did it. I went to the turn, opened the box and there I really found the miraculous 500 lire note.”
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