Philippine Parish Elevated to National Shrine, Called to Live St. Thérèse’s “Little Way”

As the Parish of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus in the Province of Rizal in the Philippines is elevated to a national shrine, a Filipino cardinal expressed his hope that it will become a place to experience God’s delight.

During the church’s solemn declaration on March 16, Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula said that the parish community should embrace the saint’s “Little Way.”

“Saint Therese grasps with luminous clarity what many spend a lifetime trying to learn: Christian life is not about our effort, but God's grace,” he said. “At the heart of her ‘Little Way’ is a radical confidence in divine love.”

Cardinal Advincula underlined how the saint discovered God’s delight not through the magnitude of her own achievements but the depth of her trust in Him.

“The smallest act done with great love outweighs grand gestures done for self-satisfaction,” he said. “In this way, she dismantles the anxiety that so often burdens many of us today: the fear that we are not enough.”

In this light, Cardinal Advincula urged the faithful to turn this national shrine into “a place of joy and consolation,” inspired by the humble life of their patron saint.

“May all the hearts that yearn for peace and comfort find not only within these walls, but in this community, a foretaste of the new heavens and new earth promised by God,” said the prelate.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines approved the petition of the Diocese of Antipolo to elevate the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Therese of the Child Jesus to a national shrine during their plenary assembly on July 6, 2025.

The solemn declaration on March 16 was attended by ten bishops, including CBCP President Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa and Bishop Ruperto Santos of Antipolo.

In his message, Bishop Santos expressed his desire for the church to become an inspiration for people to live with humility, simplicity, and joy as Saint Therese did.

“May this newly declared National Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus continue to be a home of prayer, a refuge of hope, and a wellspring of grace for pilgrims from every part of our country,” he said.

The Philippines’ newest national shrine was formally elevated to a diocesan shrine in 2011 and solemnly dedicated on October 1, 2011, coinciding with the feast of Saint Therese.