The Origins of OUR LADY OF THE SMILE
St. Therese of Lisieux was suffering from a very serious illness which kept her bedridden. She suffered from hallucinations and was very fearful of life and people. On May 13, 1886, Pentecost Sunday her sister was beside Therese’s bed for she was in obvious pain and distress. They were both praying before the family statue of our Blessed Mother which was in Therese’s room. Suddenly her sister noticed that Therese became calm and the illness left her. She (Therese) noted later that the statue of our Lady appeared to smile at her as the pain left her body. From then on the Statue of the Blessed Mother was referred to as, Our Lady of the Smile. Our faith community at Waterhen Lake bears the name, Our Lady of the Smile. Because of this, our community is connected not only to our Blessed Mother but also to St. Therese the Little Flower.
St. Therese of Lisieux was suffering from a very serious illness which kept her bedridden. She suffered from hallucinations and was very fearful of life and people. On May 13, 1886, Pentecost Sunday her sister was beside Therese’s bed for she was in obvious pain and distress. They were both praying before the family statue of our Blessed Mother which was in Therese’s room. Suddenly her sister noticed that Therese became calm and the illness left her. She (Therese) noted later that the statue of our Lady appeared to smile at her as the pain left her body. From then on the Statue of the Blessed Mother was referred to as, Our Lady of the Smile. Our faith community at Waterhen Lake bears the name, Our Lady of the Smile. Because of this, our community is connected not only to our Blessed Mother but also to St. Therese the Little Flower.
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St Therese of Lisieux
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, also called St. Teresa of the Child Jesus or the Little Flower, original name Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin, (born January 2, 1873, Alencon, France—died September 30, 1897, Lisieux; canonized May 17, 1925; feast day October 1), Carmelite nun whose service to her Roman Catholic order, although outwardly unremarkable, was later recognized for its exemplary spiritual accomplishments. She was named a doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997. Thérèse was the youngest of nine children, five of whom survived childhood. After her mother died of breast cancer in 1877, Thérèse moved with her family to Lisieux. In the deeply religious atmosphere of her home, her piety developed early and intensively. All four of her elder sisters became nuns, and at the age of 15 she entered the Carmelite convent at Lisieux, having been refused admission a year earlier. Although she suffered from depression, scruples—a causeless feeling of guilt—and, at the end, religious doubts, she kept the rule to perfection and maintained a smiling, pleasant, and unselfish manner. Before her death from tuberculosis, she acknowledged that, because of her difficult nature, not one day had ever passed without a struggle. Her burial site at Lisieux became a place of pilgrimage, and a basilica bearing her name was built there (1929–54). The story of Thérèse’s spiritual development was related in a collection of her epistolary essays, written by order of the prioresses and published in 1898 under the title Histoire d’une âme (“Story of a Soul”). Her popularity is largely a result of this work, which conveys her loving pursuit of holiness in ordinary life. St. Thérèse defined her doctrine of the Little Way as “the way of spiritual childhood, the way of trust and absolute surrender.” She was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and was the youngest person to be designated a doctor of the church. In 2015 Thérèse’s parents, Saints Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin, were canonized by Pope Francis I; they were the first spouses to be canonized together as a couple. Information taken from the following website accessed on March 31, 2020 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Therese-of-Lisieux |
Towards a New Church
On Tuesday, April 25th, a number of folks from Waterhen and Fr. Doug met with the Chief and members of the Council to discuss what are the next steps towards having a facility for our prayer and gathering. Ideas were put forward in terms of what the building might look like, would it be a modular building or would it be built on site, who oversees the construction of the building and how might the building be financed. On Sunday, April 29th after mass we will look at a sketch and see what a building might look like and what we might want included in the building. After our meeting we enjoyed a lunch prepared by Fr. Doug, we cleaned up and headed home with excitement over what might be. Fire Destroys OUR LADY OF THE SMILE Catholic Church in WATERHEN On Thursday, June 23 our faith community here at Our Lady of the Smile, Waterhen Lake, received terrible news. A fire destroyed our Church. In the meantime we will continue to have mass but the masses will be celebrated in the homes of the parishioners. We will engage in various conversations as we try to figure out what we will do for a gathering place. As a result of the fire we postponed our Day of Prayer and Healing. This celebration of our relationships with each other and with God will take place later in the summer as we organize ourselves. In the meantime please pray for us as we deal with our sadness and sorrow. Let us pray especially for all who are impacted by this tragedy. We will continue to celebrate mass on the second and last Sunday of each month! If you need to contact Fr. Doug, please phone: Parish Office: (306) 236-5122 Parish Cell: Call or text (306) 304-7271 |
SOME SITES FOR ACCURATE COVID-19 INFORMATION:
Saskatchewan Health Authority - https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus;
Canada’s Public Health - https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html;
World Health Organization - https://www.who.int)
Saskatchewan Health Authority - https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus;
Canada’s Public Health - https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html;
World Health Organization - https://www.who.int)