Garden Details
Garden Details
The Church of St. Thérèse and Shrine of the Little Flower is the only officially recognized Shrine in the
Diocese of Providence and is among the first churches in the world dedicated to Thérèse of Lisieux.
Following a miraculous healing in the early summer of 1923, the parish received its designation as a shrine from then
Bishop William Hickey. Mrs. Florilda Faford, the recipient of this grace would go on to live into her 80’s and to support
the Shrine’s development including funding the acquisition of the first statue of St. Thérèse.
After the construction of the Church and School, an outdoor chapel was built on the grounds. By 1941, wooden Stations
of the Cross were replaced with tablets of plaster cast over concrete. Stones for structures to hold the stations came
from around the state and country. Beginning in 1954, the outdoor Shrine we know today took shape. Our Holy Stairs,
patterned after the Scala Sancta in Rome, were dedicated in July of 1956 and the chapel was replaced with a new structure
made of Vermont granite and Tennessee crab orchard stones. Other devotional areas including a fountain and various
saint-specific gardens were built in the 1960’s.
Between 1963 and the closing of the parish school in 1973, the outdoor shrine was neglected with many areas becoming
thoroughly overgrown. But around 1980, with the complete renovation of the Church, the Shrine also came back to life.
Celebrations for Shrine Anniversary Day and the Feast of St. Therese were re-introduced to the parish. Parishioners began
weeding, cutting trees, planting flowers and undertaking other needed maintenance projects. During the summer of 1994,
the parish cleared the woods behind the Stations and outdoor chapel to build a walking Rosary monument. A garden of the
saints was also added to the grounds during this time.
In 2015, the Shrine became a mission of Our Lady of Good Help in Mapleville with Fr. Michael J. McMahon as its
pastor. Fr. McMahon spearheaded multiple maintenance and restoration projects in both the Church and Shrine
Precinct. These included the installation of a wooden sanctuary floor, multiple improvements to the parish offices, parking
area upgrades, and significant masonry repairs to the Holy Stairs.
In May of 2022, Fr. Jose Parathanal, CMI began his ministry at the parish, he is the first Carmelite father to lead the
Shrine. Fr. Parathanal began his tenure by undertaking the creation of a new Rosary Walk, which was completed in time
for our 100th Anniversary Day Celebration on August 20, 2023. In 2024, Fr. Parathanal led the refurbishment of the
Church Hall, the main meeting and program space for the Shrine. This included replacement of the floors, repainting, and
bathroom upgrades. In the summer of 2026, Fr. Parathanal enabled major upgrades of the Garden of the Saints, including new plantings and a different design.
In addition to the many physical improvements, the Shrine continues to develop devotional, cultural, and educational
programs to bring the message of St. Thérèse’s extraordinary theology to a new generation of Catholics.
Garden Practices
Garden Practices
Gardening at the Shrine of the Little Flower is led by a single volunteer who determines plantings, budgets and priorities in concert with the pastor. Some Saint-specific gardens are maintained by the original donors or their families. Gardening is oriented toward seasonal annual plantings, cleanliness and accessibility of pathways, particularly during the winter months. Some attempt has been made to address invasive species on the property (burning bush, koosa dogwood, Russian olive and bush Honeysuckle) but these efforts are limited.
The majority of the outdoor Shrine sits in a grove of maple trees. Other native trees include Catalpa and Mountain Laurel. Seasonal annuals are planted in spring and summer. Beds of perennials surround the church. The convent residents plant an annual vegetable garden.
The Shrine has minimal community involvement in maintaining our gardens and plantings as we generally seek to be a place of quiet prayer and refuge for our visitors. Our lead volunteer for groundskeeping works closely with a paid landscaper and a small coterie of additional volunteers to maintain the grounds.
Additional Information
Additional Information
A garden, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was planted as a memorial to a man who died in the early 80's. In the summer of 2022, two volunteers removed vetch and radically pruned holly and other plantings to reveal the statue and create a seating area. The widow of the man to whom this garden was dedicated was able to join us for a 're-blessing' of the garden before passing at the age of 99.
