Relics of famous saint arrive in NZ

The relics of one of history's most famous saints will be at St Patrick's Cathedral in Auckland today for public veneration.

The closed casket containing the remains of St Therese of Lisieux, sometimes called the Little Flower, will arrive at the cathedral in Wyndham St about 10am.

"She is regarded as one of the greatest saints of modern times, remarkable for a young woman who died at 24," says Catholic Church spokeswoman Lyndsay Freer.

"She made tiny events in your life important by doing the best you could in every detail and being loving and patient to everyone."

Mass will start at 12.15pm and prayers will continue until late. The cathedral will remain open throughout the night for veneration.

The 1.5m-long casket, decorated in precious stones, arrived in Auckland from Paris on Sunday and was taken to the Carmelite monastery in Mt Albert Rd, Royal Oak (St Therese was a Carmelite nun).

Mrs Freer said the stop there had been hugely popular, as parish members and school groups had visited to see the casket.

A custom-built "Theresemobile" will take the reliquary north tomorrow on the first stage of a month-long trip around NZ, returning to Auckland on October 13 before the casket is flown back to Paris.

Therese was canonised in 1925. In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Universal Church, saying her message extended to all people on every continent.

The pilgrimage has been through Australia, Ireland and Brazil.