Today, I had the grace and privilege of speaking at St. Theresa’s Shrine in Nasonville, Rhode Island — the very first shrine in the world dedicated to the Little Flower. The occasion was especially meaningful, as it formed part of the celebration of her feast day on the 100th anniversary of her canonization.

I have cherished this shrine since we moved to the little village of Nasonville in 1979. At that time, it was overgrown, hidden, and neglected — a forgotten gem quietly waiting to be rediscovered. In the years that followed, devoted parishioners, including my own parents, worked tirelessly to restore and revive the shrine, breathing new life into this sacred place.

My parents were later appointed shrine coordinators by Fr. John Dery, a role in which they faithfully served for over twenty-five years. This shrine also holds a deeply personal place in my own vocation: it was here that I celebrated my First Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving following my ordination in 1992.

It was a joy to return today and speak once more at this beloved place of grace.
My talk follows.

“The Saints in Our Lives“

by Fr. Jay A. Finelli – October 1, 2025

From the moment I was drawn into a deeper relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ, I was drawn to the saints.

Relationship

I remember the very beginning of that journey. I immediately picked up my mother’s little Butler’s Lives of the Saints. It sat on a table near my bed, and each night I would read about one or more of them. It was like a fire — I couldn’t get enough. I found the stories of their lives extremely moving, and I wanted more. I wanted to know them, and I wanted to be like them.

The Saints

The Church proposes the saints to us for several reasons.

First: Inspiration.
If he or she did it, so can I. Every saint was just like us. Some were deeply devout from an early age, while others lived “the life of Riley” but later had a conversion. But there is a saint for each one of us. In fact, if you are like me, you can’t be satisfied with just one saint. I have a good number in my spiritual rolodex.

Second: Intercession.
The saints provide support to us in our journey toward the Kingdom. Although Our Lord Jesus Christ is the one Mediator of grace, the Blessed Virgin Mary and all of the saints share in the mediating work of our Lord. When we seek the intercession and intervention of the saints, it is not independent of Jesus. As the Epistle of James tells us: “All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). Every grace, every gift, every miracle, sign, or wonder received through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary or a saint is granted only according to the will and mind of God. They all come from God Himself — not from the saint.

In a very real way, we all share in the role of mediators because, through baptism, we share in the priesthood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This means that whenever we pray for one another, we do so in union with Christ the High Priest. Our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings are offered through Him, with Him, and in Him, and they draw their power and efficacy from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

So, if someone objects to the intercession of the saints by saying, “I go directly to Jesus!” — then, by that logic, they shouldn’t ask for our prayers either, because they too could “go directly to Jesus.” Yet we instinctively know the value of praying for and with one another. As members of God’s family, we turn to one another in times of need.

It is no different with the saints in heaven. In fact, their prayers are even more powerful because nothing impedes their union with God. They behold Him face to face, and their deepest desire is to see us united with them in the Kingdom. Thus, when we seek their intercession, we are simply embracing the fullness of the communion of saints — a family of faith that spans heaven and earth.

Our Connection to the Saints

Our relationship with the saints begins early on, whether we realize it or not. On the day of our Baptism, we received a name — and that name ought to be the name of a saint. And if it wasn’t, because you were given your grandfather’s name or your aunt’s name, they were probably named after a saint, or the one they were named after was.

Again, at Confirmation, we were asked to choose the name of a saint. In some places, where the people didn’t choose a saint, some priest or bishop gave all the boys the name Joseph and all the girls the name Mary. The whole purpose of taking a saint’s name is to make that connection — to give us a saint to inspire us and watch over us on the journey to the Kingdom.

The Saints Are Like Us

We often put the saints on a golden pedestal, as though we are afraid to break them. But they were — and are — like us in many ways. They know the human condition just as we do, and maybe even more so now from the Kingdom.

They were priests and religious, married and single. They were doctors, lawyers, plumbers, and bricklayers. They were teachers, mechanics, mill workers, and farmers. Men, women, and children of every background and nationality.

There is a saint for each one of us — someone who struggled with the same temptations and sins as you and I. Tall, short, old, and young. Someone just like you and me, but at the same time different — because there is only one of you and one of them, each unique in God’s plan of salvation.

Saints Had Saints Too

Like us, the saints themselves had patron saints — people they looked to for example, intercession, and friendship.

Pope Pius X had a very strong devotion to St. Joseph. He also had a great admiration for St. Charles Borromeo.

St. Pier Giorgio Frassati had a deep admiration for St. Paul.

Blessed Bartolo Longo, who will be canonized on October 19, had a devotion to St. Dominic, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Thomas Aquinas. His greatest devotion was to Our Lady of the Rosary, whom he believed saved him from Satanism.

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was very devoted to St. Thérèse. He greatly admired her “little way” to holiness and often cited her as a model of childlike trust and spiritual simplicity.

St. Thérèse

And of course, our own dear St. Theresa — or Thérèse — the Little Flower. She held a special devotion to St. Theophane Vénard because she desired to be a missionary, although she never left the cloister. She often read his letters home.

St. Theophane was a Parisian priest who served in Tonkin — now Vietnam. He endured great sufferings, imprisonment, was placed in a small cage, and was eventually beheaded for his faith.

Besides Theophane, who was her favorite, Thérèse had a deep devotion to several saints, including St. Joan of Arc, St. Cecilia, St. Agnes of Rome, St. Mary Magdalene, and St. Teresa of Avila. All of these saints offered Thérèse something for her spiritual life. They inspired her, and she prayed with them.

Thérèse and Us

In her Story of a Soul, Thérèse reminds us that she will be there for us. Many people feel abandoned when a loved one dies. But Thérèse wrote this:

“I feel that my mission is about to begin, my mission of making God loved as I love Him, of giving my little way to souls. If God answers my desires, my heaven will be spent on earth until the end of the world.” (Story of a Soul, Manuscript C, 36v)

So we are not alone — the saints accompany us on the journey.

“I will come down. I will spend my heaven doing good on earth among the little ones and the poor.” (Last Conversations)
“I will return to earth to help souls, to draw them to the love of God.” (Last Conversations)

The good little nun also promised a sign of her intercession:

“When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens; I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth.” (Last Conversations, July 17, 1897)

After such words, can we have any doubt in St. Thérèse — or in any saint, for that matter?

Eileen George

My friend Eileen George, whose cause of canonization I hope to assist, often reminded us of the importance of the saints. She encouraged us on priests’ retreats to seek the aid of the Old Testament saints. She had a devotion to Moses, whom she said was canonized by God, who called him a “just man.”

She also said that we ought to seek the intercession of the saints in a special way on their feast days, because the Father gives them special power of intercession on those days.

Closing

The saints are our friends. They intercede for us. They give us their example of perseverance. They are our best friends on the journey toward heaven.

The saints in our lives hold an important place.

And so, today, on the Feast Day of our beloved St. Thérèse, let us remind her of her promise to “spend her heaven doing good upon earth” and to “shower us with many roses” today.

Fr. Jay A. Finelli
October 1, 2025