The Shrine of the Little Flower is RI's only Catholic shrine. Here's its story.

On a cold, windy March day, there’s only one other person in the parking lot.

In the summer, more people make the journey to this corner of Rhode Island, according to the Rev. Jose Parathanal. The parking lot fills with license plates from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, but not as many Ocean State plates as you might expect.

Which might have something to do with this week’s What and Why RI question.

“Maybe Easter has me wondering this, but are there any shrines in Rhode Island?” a reader wrote in asking. “I’ve been to La Salette, but that’s in Massachusetts.”

There’s one: The Shrine of the Little Flower in Nasonville village, a part of Burrillville.

“People come from all over, but not many Rhode Islanders know about us,” Parathanal said.

Who does The Shrine of the Little Flower honor?

The Shrine of the Little Flower honors Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, a Discalced Carmelite nun who died at the age of 24 in 1897. She’s the patron saint of florists, foreign missions, loss of parents, priests and the sick.

“She's made a powerful impact upon the world at her death,” said Sister Grace Coffey, who has worked at the shrine for 18 years. “One of the sisters said, ‘I wonder what the Mother Superior will write about her in the obituary. She never really did anything.’ All that she did was, you know, it was hidden.”

St. Thérèse, Coffey explained from within the small museum on the property, was devoted to loving and sharing in the suffering of Jesus through the little things. Eating the food no one else wanted without complaining; not keeping her basket in her preferred spot so that others could have the better spot; sitting straight at church even when she wanted to lean back.

It’s an attitude that came to be known as “The Little Way,” the idea that ordinary things should be done with great love.

Only 28 years after her death, St. Thérèse was canonized on May 17, 1925.

What’s the history of The Shrine of the Little Flower in RI?

Before she was even officially canonized, there was an effort underway to name a church after her in Rhode Island.

In 1923, a new parish was created to serve the villages of Nasonville, Mohegan, Mount Pleasant and Tarklin, and Bishop William A. Hickey recommended it be named after St. Thérèse.

The new pastor, the Rev. A.P. Desrochers, wasn’t as sure.

“He asked God for a sign,” Coffey said.

He went to visit a woman, Florilda Faford, who was so sick that the doctors had given up on her, Coffey said. He asked Faford to pray to St. Thérèse for help.

“She couldn't speak, but she made some movement that made him think that maybe she could understand,” Coffey said. “They came back the next day, and she was a little more alert, eyes were open. She was able to receive Communion. ... Her daughter said after the priest left her mother got out of bed and said, ‘I’m all better, run now, and get the priest.”

That was the type of miracle Desrochers was looking for, and so the parish was named in her honor.

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The shrine developed over time.

“Nobody decided up above that it would be a shrine, but the man over there on Route 7, he received a favor. He donated all the land where the Way of the Cross is,” Coffey said. “Somebody else received a favor, they built the holy stairs out of wood. Another person received a favor, they made the outdoor shrine. Everything was a favor to St. Thérèse.

“Even today, people are still donating. The saint’s garden is relatively new. Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the rosary walk is, of course, the newest addition,” Coffey said.

In 2023, the shrine celebrated its centennial jubilee.

Why do people make the pilgrimage to The Shrine of the Flower?

People come to the shrine looking for healing and reprieve, according to Parathanal. I asked him a few times and a few different ways to be more specific, and he kept giving me the same answer.

“When you come, you’ll understand.”

So I did, on that cold, windy day, for Parathanal to give me a tour of the grounds. Even with the flowers not yet blooming, it’s clear that as you wind your way through the Stations of the Cross, climb the Holy Steps on your knees and follow the new rosary walk, this is a place for contemplation.

But if I only described the scenery to you, I wouldn’t be offering any clarity on what he meant by “when you come, you’ll understand.” Instead, I offer this.

The morning I went was also the morning that I learned a dear friend of mine’s mother died overnight. The day before, I'd pushed off doing this story to talk to my friend about how quickly her mom was declining, how she couldn’t fathom what was coming next, and how she wished her mom had peace.

They’re Catholic, so while I was there, I lit a candle in the chapel and passed on the request for peace. It was a little thing, almost unworthy of mention, but on the other hand, that type of love is what Saint Thérèse is all about.

On the way out, a bright white bird flew in front of my car, which, again, was almost unworthy of mention. Except that, I’m pretty sure it was some type of white pigeon, which are in the same family of birds as doves, and a white dove is a universal symbol of peace.

Again, it's the sort of thing I suppose you could dismiss, but if you’re lighting candles at shrines looking for small ways to offer peace to someone, a white bird flying across your car is no longer unworthy of mention.

“Be sure to tell people what you experience here,” was one of the last things Parathanal said to me, between when I lit the candle and saw the bird. “We want more Rhode Islanders to come.”

What and Why RI is a weekly feature by The Providence Journal to explore our readers' curiosity. If you have a question about Rhode Island, big or small, email it to klandeck@gannett.com. She loves a good question.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Shrine of the Little Flower in Burrillville is RI's only Catholic shrine