Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower

The Story

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower in San Antonio, Texas, is among the earliest churches in the world dedicated to St. Therese of Lisieux, begun by the Discalced Carmelite friars in the years immediately following her canonization in 1925 and dedicated in 1931. The Carmelite fathers, many of them exiles from religious persecution in Mexico, built the shrine as an act of thanksgiving and entrusted it to the young Carmelite saint whose 'little way' of confidence and love was then sweeping the Catholic world. From San Antonio the friars also launched the Apostolate of the Little Flower, spreading devotion to St. Therese across the American Southwest and beyond. The church's Spanish colonial revival architecture, dome, and richly decorated interior have made it a landmark of Catholic San Antonio. Pope St. John Paul II raised the shrine to the rank of minor basilica in 1998, recognizing its importance as a center of devotion and pilgrimage. Today the basilica remains in the care of the Discalced Carmelites and serves both as a parish and a national shrine. Pilgrims visit throughout the year, with celebrations reaching their height at the annual novena and Mass of Roses surrounding the feast of St. Therese on October 1.

Church Recognition

Proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope St. John Paul II in 1998, the church is a national shrine of St. Therese of Lisieux in the care of the Discalced Carmelite friars.

Catholic Teaching

The shrine invites the faithful into St. Therese's 'little way' of spiritual childhood, an expression of the universal call to holiness and trust in God's merciful love; the Catechism cites Therese on prayer as a surge of the heart toward God (CCC 2558).

Plan Your Visit

Open only what you need. Expand all

Practical

1 Additional Information ▾

A Texas pilgrimage church honoring the Little Flower.

Go Deeper

Visit the basilica's official website at https://littleflowerbasilica.org, read St. Therese's Story of a Soul, and explore the resources of the Apostolate of the Little Flower founded at the shrine.