The National Shrine and Museum of St. Therese is  a 40-acre property that is also home to the Carmelite Meditation Garden and the Carmelite Gift Shop. The Shrine and Museum are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. We will open on Sundays starting July 6th 2025 (except on recognized holidays).

The National Shrine is where people come to learn about St. Therese: to honor her, be with her, learn about her life and ask for her intercession. The Museum is a rich treasury of relics and memorabilia of St. Therese. The collection is the largest of her personal effects outside Lisieux, France, the home of her Carmelite convent.

The Museum

Highlights of the National Shrine Museum include photographs of her, paintings of scenes from her life, a special Prayer Gazebo, and a full-sized exact replica of her convent cell which includes several second-class relics.

There is a stain-glass window located in the National Shrine Museum that beautifully and artistically depicts the journey of the soul to God, modeled on St. John of the Cross’ Ascent of Mount Carmel. St. Therese’s spiritual journey is very parallel to St. John of the Cross’ teachings. There is also a beautiful wood carving depicting the life of St. Therese. It tells her whole life story in a visual and beautiful way. It is the largest wood carving of a religious nature in the United States.

St. Therese was dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patroness of the Carmelites. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the patroness of Contemplatives and teaches us as “our sister in faith” to be present to our life where God reveals His great, ever-present love and presence. The National Shrine Museum features a large collection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel statues from around the world.

The Shrine

The original and first National Shrine to St. Therese began at St. Cyril’s Church in Chicago in 1923, as devotion to the Little Flower was growing. Because of her great popularity, it was moved to the larger St. Clara’s Church in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. The Tuesday novenas drew thousands of devoted friends. During this time, relics and personal effects of this new Saint (she was canonized in 1925) were received from the Carmelites Nuns of Lisieux in gratitude for the support the Carmelite Province of the Most Pure of Mary gave for her beatification and canonization.

In 1975, a massive fire destroyed St. Clara’s Carmelite Church in the south side of Chicago, and effectively destroyed the National Shrine of St. Therese. Gratefully most of the relics and personal effects were saved.The Shrine items were moved from St. Clara’s to the Aylesford Carmelite Priory in Darien for a period of time. A devoted Lay Carmelite woman left the Carmelites a bequest in her will to build a Shrine to the Little Flower. The multi-million dollar gift was used to build a new Shrine to the Little Flower in Darien, Illinois, on the Aylesford Carmelite campus. Fr. Terry Sempowski, then Director of the Little Flower Society, oversaw the design and construction, trying to be faithful to Carmelite spirituality and her “little way.” The Shrine building was dedicated on November 1, 1987.

In 1999-2000, the Carmelites sponsored the tour of the Relics of St. Therese throughout North America, with the leadership of Fr. Bob Colaresi, O. Carm. Tremendous crowds met her everywhere, and especially at the National Shrine in Darien. This amazing experience opened the doors to more and more people coming to daily Mass and other events on campus. A decision was made to expand the Shrine and double its capacity, to meet the needs of the people coming. The expanded Shrine was blessed in February 2002.

The Little Flower has so many friends. At special events and daily Mass at times, the building was filled beyond capacity. Having helped the Carmelite Nuns with the renovation of their Lisieux Convent, they continued to share precious relics and gifts of St. Therese, including the original door to her room and her tiles, etc. This led to the extensive renovation and updating of the Shrine Museum in 2014-15.

A New National Shrine

With St. Therese’s heavenly help, we received an extremely generous gift from the Margie & Robert E. Petersen Foundation; Margie Petersen was very devoted to the Little Flower.

Their generous gift allowed the beginning of the four-year planning and development of the new National Shrine which was dedicated on October 1, 2018 – it is three times the size of the former chapel and highlights our heavenly patroness with her smile and welcoming arms.

Around the new National Shrine are smaller prayer stations to Carmelite Saints.

During the year there are special events including St. Therese’s Feast Day, Christmas at the Crib, Walk with Jesus, and the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Pilgrimage groups of 20 or more can arrange a special guided day by calling 800-647-1430.