Relics of St. Therese to Be on Display in Southland

Encased in a wooden and gold reliquary, the relics of St. Therese, also known as “The Little Flower,” have been touring the nation. Today and Sunday they will be at St. Therese Church in Alhambra.

On Sunday--St. Therese’s birthday--Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, assisted by a number of clergymen, will be the main celebrant at a concelebrated Mass at St. Therese Church in honor of the 75th anniversary of that Carmelite foundation.

Marie Francoise Therese Martin was the ninth and last child of pious Catholic parents in France. She was admitted to the convent Carmel of Lisieux at the unusually young age of 15. She died at 24.

Her form of spirituality was based on simplicity and doing the smallest things for the love of God. Her daily prayer included the plea: “I have no other means of proving my love for you than that of strewing flowers . . . not allowing one little sacrifice to escape.” She was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and later named “Doctor of the Church” by the current pope, an honor shared by only three women.

After the Sunday Mass, St. Therese’s remains will be transferred to Santa Teresita Hospital, 819 Buena Vista St., Duarte, at 1:30 p.m. A welcoming ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. The relics will go to El Carmelo Retreat House, 926 E. Highland Ave., Redlands, on Tuesday and to St. Theresa Church, 2800 E. Ramon Road, Palm Springs, on Wednesday and return to Redlands on Thursday. A detailed schedule of devotions and visitation hours is available by calling St. Therese Church at (626) 282-2744.

MILLENNIUM PRAYER SERVICE

On Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m., more than 100 community and religious representatives are expected to gather at Hsi Lai Temple, 3456 S. Glenmark Drive, Hacienda Heights, to usher in the new millennium with prayers for world peace and social harmony.

A traditional Chinese dragon dance will kick off the ceremony, followed by prayers from the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Bahai tradition and the Jodoshu North America Buddhist Mission. For more information call Cherry Lai, (714) 838-2211.

ETHIOPIAN CHRISTMAS

Liddet, the Ethiopian Christmas, will be celebrated with traditional food and dance beginning at 2 p.m. Jan. 8 at the California Science Center, 700 State St., Los Angeles. Princeton University professor Ephraim Isaac, an authority on the Dead Sea Scrolls who speaks 20 languages, will lecture on the “Origin of Religion.” Texas theologian Ronald Brown, the first African American to compile and edit the Book of Enoch, will speak on that Ethiopian scripture. (213) 200-0852.

FORUM

On Friday at 7 p.m., the Pasadena Presbyterian Church at Colorado Boulevard and Madison Avenue in downtown Pasadena, will present “How Should Christians Respond?” The event is a forum on the growing debate over Proposition 22, the Limit on Marriage initiative, on the March state ballot. (626) 793-2191

LECTURE / READING

Norma Kershaw, an art historian and trustee of the Bowers Museum of Cultural Arts in Santa Ana, will discuss “Akhnaten, Nefertiti and Tutankhamen: The Origins of Monotheism in Egypt” at the Biblical Archeology Society meeting at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Pasadena City College, room R-122, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. A donation of $4 is suggested. (626) 338-7700.

* Temple Isaiah, 10345 W. Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles, will host an evening with poet and author Merle Feld from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday. Her newest collection of poems, “A Spiritual Life,” explores the many facets of shared Jewish experiences. The cost is $7.50 for temple members, $10 for guests, and includes a dessert reception. For reservations call (310) 277-2772.

NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

The Japanese American National Museum, 369 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, will host an afternoon New Year family celebration from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. At 1:30, the Rev. Hirokazu Kosaka will shoot the arrow of tradition to guide the way into the New Year in a Zen purification ceremony. Other afternoon events will include a New Year taiko performance and activities for children. Reduced admission fees of $3 for adults will be available. Admission for seniors, students and children is free. (213) 625-0414.

MUSIC

World-renowned cantors Alberto Mizrahi, a master of the Sephardic and Middle Eastern musical traditions, and Jacob Ben Zion Mendelson, a leading proponent of the European tradition, will be the featured guests at the Stephen S. Wise Temple, 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles, for a weekend of Jewish musical scholarship, Friday through Jan. 9. Also featured in the weekend events will be Stephen S. Wise Temple cantors Nathan Lam and Linda Kates, Cantor Joseph Gole of Congregation Mogen David in West Los Angeles, and Matthew Lazar, founding director of the Zamir Choral Foundation. (310) 889-2208.

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