Following the ‘little way of love’ – Moonah-Lutana celebrates canonisation centenary
By Josh Low
Doing little things with great love was the message in focus as the Moonah-Lutana Parish community gathered last month to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the canonisation of St Thérèse of Lisieux.
Celebrations for the centenary – which occurred on Saturday 17 May – were held at Sunday Mass on 18 May, at St Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Moonah.
Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Julian, who was joined by concelebrants, Moonah-Lutana Parish Priest, Fr Bartha Paniyadimai MSC, Polish Community Chaplain, Fr Jozef Migacz MSC, and visiting priest, Fr Chung Tran MSC.
The parish’s Polish and Filipino choirs assisted in song, in a liturgy which also saw representatives from St Thérèse’s Catholic School in attendance.
Pope Pius XI canonised Thérèse in 1925, recognising her as a saint not for dramatic deeds, but for her quiet, unwavering faith. One hundred years later, her legacy lives on stronger than ever.
Having lived a life marked not by grand acts but by small daily sacrifices made with great love, Thérèse believed that sanctity could be achieved through simple faith and love, even in the most ordinary tasks.
This accessible path to holiness has profoundly resonated with Catholics around the world.
“There is something very approachable in one who was content to live in obscurity, not seeking notice or attention,” Archbishop Julian said in his homily.
“Their ordinariness makes us feel we can engage with them. They are not towering or distant unapproachable figures.
“Simplicity and humility are attractive virtues. St Thérèse appeals to us because we see these qualities in her.”
St Thérèse quickly became one of the most beloved saints of the Catholic Church following her canonisation.
The foundation stone for the church in Moonah was laid only six years later in 1931.
In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church – one of only four women to receive this title – recognising the deep theological significance of her writings.
Her impact endures as a model of humble faith, especially for those seeking God through small acts of love in everyday life.
“This is key to her spirituality,” Archbishop Julian said.
“It is not in the great gestures, but in the little things, the unnoticed things, that love finds its purest expression.”
“As we honour her today, let us ask her intercession that we, too, may follow the little way of love.”