From Samoa with love ... and a gift

Sydney
14 April 2002

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From Samoa with love ... and a gift

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From Samoa with love ... and a gift

Kuini Lasaeli, Bernadette Carruthurs, Maria Goretti Philipp, Luisa Chantung and Iuni Baeau

By Marilyn Kerjean

Five Secular Discalced Carmelites travelled from Samoa to Sydney to spend some quiet time with the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux and to spend Easter on retreat.

The five lay women – Maria Goretti Philipp, Bernadette Carruthurs, Luisa Chantung, Kuini Lasaeli and Iuni Baeau – also had a precious gift for the young French saint.

They arrived at the Discalced Carmelite friary at Varroville just before the reliquary arrived there on March 26 and presented a tapa, or siapo, which is usually reserved for royalty.

It is a rare ceremonial mat handmade from the bark of a mulberry tree with painted or embroidered designs and is traditionally a feature at weddings or funerals of a high chief and his family.

The lay Carmelites brought this siapo for St Thérèse; it was placed on the floor of the chapel under and around her reliquary, which was at the friary and retreat centre at Varroville – in Sydney’s south-west – for two days (March 26-27).

About 2500 people visited the friary over the two days to pray with St Thérèse and to hear about her life and spirituality from her ‘brothers’, the friars of the order.

Up to 400 people arrived for each Mass, more than the simple chapel could hold.

All were quiet and reverent and waited patiently for their turn to pray by the reliquary when the Mass was over.

During the day, people prayed in the chapel, went to confession or viewed the photographic exhibition that captured the life of the ‘Little Flower’.

The five pilgrims from Samoa stayed in the chapel overnight on both nights the relics were there, praying together, meditating silently and singing.

They were joined by a handful of others from the parish and the local Polish community who were also happy to have those hours of quiet time with the relics after everyone else had returned home or gone to bed.

“We want to share with her the love and trust she teaches the Church and want to enrich our spiritual life with the help of St Thérèse,” says Iuni Baeau.

“It’s been a good spiritual preparation for Easter (when) I want to spend some time with our Lord and get to know him better.”

Maria Goretti Philipp agrees that the pilgrimage from Samoa has been “spiritually rewarding”.

For Bernadette Carruthurs it has been “a dream come true” to be able to come to Australia for a retreat over Easter and see the reliquary at the same time.

Sr Elizabeth Franks, of the Discalced Carmelite order, has been surprised and even moved by the steady stream of people who have been attracted to the relics, not only in Varroville, but throughout the reliquary’s Australian tour. “People are just drawn to her,” she said. “They’re not just drawn to a few pieces of bone, but (rather): ‘Here’s a person who can teach us’.

“Her teaching mainly is to direct people to Jesus and to God’s love.”