Holy Hill Gears Up for Relics Visit

St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s relics have drawn huge crowds of pilgrims who have come to accentuate their relationship with God through her intercession.

They will again this week at Holy Hill, with thousands of pilgrims expected to come to encounter “the Little Flower.”

“Come with great expectation that God wants to do great things, that Thérèse is a powerful intercessor and she wants us to follow her path of confidence and love,” said Fr. Michael-Joseph Paris, O.C.D., the postulant director of Holy Hill and coordinator for the relics’ visit.

“I think it’s going to be a lot of people, but not in the sense where it’s like you’re feeling crushed or overwhelmed. It just means the excitement, the joy is there.”

St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s relics will come to the Basilica and National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill in Hubertus from Nov. 15-18, celebrating the 100th anniversary of her canonization. Organizers have taken notes from locations in 11 other states on the relics’ 2026 U.S. tour to help them prepare the grounds and inform pilgrims on the size of the crowds to expect.

“We’ve had now a little bit of time to see how they’ve gone in other places like Royal Oaks, Michigan, and Los Angeles,” Fr. Paris said. “We’re used to big crowds, especially in October. This is the time when everyone wants to come to Holy Hill, so on the weekends, we are pretty prepared.”

The relics will arrive at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, with the first of eight Masses over the four-day visit to follow that afternoon.

Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob will celebrate Mass on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 10 a.m., one of four Sunday Masses.

Pilgrims will have seven opportunities to venerate the relics throughout the four days, with the grounds open from either 6 a.m. or 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. each day, an extension beyond the normal 7 p.m. closing time. All three nights will end with a novena to St. Thérèse.

Go to holyhill.com/events/st-therese-of-lisieux-relics-visitation for a full schedule of times of veneration, Mass and other prayer.

Golf carts will shuttle people with special needs from the large parking lot to the church, and parking will be opened in fields on the grounds if needed. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office will join plain-clothed security to help keep people safe.

Fr. Paris says that people can definitely equip themselves with backpacks, water and other items that Holy Hill allows pilgrims to bring, though they are not allowed to eat in the basilica.

But what he hopes people pack is hope and expectation of a Christ-filled experience through a saint who did everyday things with great love, someone whom many feel present within their everyday life.