Here are some frequently asked questions about the St Therese relics visit:
Q. What will be the best time to come?
A. There are four major services:
- Arrival of Relics at 3 pm Wednesday September 30th
- Bishop's Mass at 7.30 pm same day
- Mass for St Therese’s feast day at 8 am Thursday October 1st
- Departure Service at 10 am same day
- Between these times there will be general veneration
- Access is expected to be easier between the times of the four services and particularly through the night.
Q. Do we need tickets to attend?
A. No, tickets are not required. There will probably be a queue at peak times, but stewards will try to keep the queue moving steadily.
Q. Will there be a separate queue for the Bishop’s Mass?
A. No, there will only be one queue in order to give everyone an equal opportunity to come and venerate the relics. Attendance at the Bishop’s Mass will be on a first-come first-served basis.
Q. What will happen to the queue between 7pm and 8.30pm?
A. The queue for general veneration will be suspended at approximately 7pm until the Bishop’s Mass has finished, at about 8.30 pm. People will then be able to start entering the church again, either for a short visit or for the night vigil.
Q. What will be the normal procedure for general veneration?
A. Stewards will guide people down the centre aisle towards the casket containing the relics of St Therese. When they arrive there, they can briefly touch the glass cover surrounding the casket, before moving out via the side aisle.
Q. Can people stop to pray?
A. Yes, people can use the pews on the right hand side of the church if they want to pray before venerating the relics, or the pews on the left hand side if they want to pray after venerating.
Q. How long can people stay in the church?
A. During general veneration, we hope that people will stay for no more than 20 minutes to be fair to everyone else in the queue. If you would like to stay for longer, you might like to come back for the night vigil when there will be no limit on how long you can stay.
Q. When will the night vigil commence?
A. The night vigil runs from midnight until 6am.
Q. When will Confession be available?
A. Up to midnight on Wednesday.
Q. Will priests be available to anoint the sick?
A. Yes, up to midnight on Wednesday and from 7.30 am on Thursday. There will be a separate area set aside with a priest on hand for anointing.
Q. Will there be assistance for the disabled and a space for wheelchairs?
A. Stewards will be on hand to assist the disabled. There will be room for wheelchairs to move up to the relics and around the church.
Q. How can we identify the stewards?
A. They will be wearing yellow arm-bands.
Q. Will there be toilets, including those for the disabled?
A. Yes there will be portable toilets near where the queue forms up outside the church, including one for disabled people.
Q. Will we be able to purchase refreshments or should we bring our own?
A. Unfortunately there are no catering facilities at St Andrews. There are plenty of eating places close by in the centre of Newcastle.
Q. Is there a car park at St Andrews?
A. No, and street parking can be difficult to find (90p per hour or more). There is also a small NCP car park in Carliol Square (£1.90 per hour).
Q. Is there a Metro stop nearby?
A. Yes, Monument Metro station is about 6 minutes walk away. The Metro also does Park and Ride from outlying Metro stations.
Q. Do I need to bring anything with me?
A. Some pilgrims like to touch the glass case with their rosary beads or a rose, and perhaps take a rose or rosary back to someone who is unable to come themselves
Q. Is it hygienic?
A. The relics of St. Therese are sealed in a casket within the glass case and not visible. Stewards will wipe the case after each pilgrim touches it.
Q. What is the casket made of?
A. It is made of Jacaranda wood (from Brazil) decorated with gold filigree.
Q. I’ve got another question not listed above.
A. Please send us an email to st.theresa.visit@hotmail.co.uk and we will do our best to answer it.