About St. Theresa of the Child Jesus · Harrisville, Rhode Island
St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, more commonly known as the Shrine of the Little Flower, is a Roman Catholic parish and pilgrimage site in Nasonville — a village within Burrillville in northwestern Rhode Island. Founded on August 23, 1923 by Bishop William A. Hickey and named in honor of the recently beatified St. Thérèse of Lisieux, it is believed to be the first shrine in North America (and among the very first in the world) dedicated to her, and remains the only officially recognized Catholic shrine in Rhode Island. Since 2019 the parish has been yoked into the Burrillville Catholic Collaborative with Our Lady of Good Help in Mapleville, and since 2021 with St. Patrick in Harrisville. The 9-acre wooded campus includes the church, a Holy Stair modeled on the Scala Sancta of Rome, Stations of the Cross, an outdoor chapel, a Rosary Walk and saint-specific gardens, and is open 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset.
- Established
- 1923
- Patron
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux (St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus)
- Rector
- Rev. Jose Parathanal, C.M.I.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Providence
Why belong here
St. Theresa of the Child Jesus is a uniquely devotional Catholic community that pairs the rhythm of a small-town parish with the spiritual reach of a recognized shrine. Daily Mass (Monday–Saturday) is celebrated right in the church, with a Saturday Vigil and Sunday evening Mass, a robust weekly Confession schedule, and Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The parish is also deeply committed to formation — Religious Education registration is open for 2026–27, a Parish Bible Study meets monthly, and there is a Women's Prayer Group, an Adult Choir, a Youth Choir for grades 3–12, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers, and a Hospitality Ministry. Visitors and pilgrims are warmly welcomed throughout the year on the 9-acre wooded grounds, and the historic Confraternity and Pious Union of Friends of St. Thérèse offer a way for the faithful near and far to join in the shrine's mission.
Mass times at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays, 3:00 PM at St. Theresa Shrine (35 Dion Drive) — June 1 through September 30
- Saturdays, 3:00 PM at Our Lady of Good Help (1063 Victory Highway) — October 1 through May 31
- Fridays and Saturdays, by request, immediately following the 8:30 AM Mass at St. Theresa Shrine (contact the priest after Mass)
- By appointment — call the parish office at 401-568-8280 or email [email protected]
Adoration times
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Fridays, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM at St. Theresa Church
The Shrine of the Little Flower — Overview
Founded in the summer of 1923, the Church of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Shrine of the Little Flower in Nasonville, Rhode Island celebrated its centennial in 2023. The Shrine is among the first in the world dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux and is believed to be the first in North America; it is also the only officially recognized Catholic shrine in the State of Rhode Island. Now a mission of Our Lady of Good Help Parish in Mapleville, the Shrine continues its calling as a rural oasis of prayer, pilgrimage, and community as it enters its second centennial.
History of the Parish and Shrine
The parish grew out of a mission of St. John's in Slatersville, where for nearly fifty years a priest would travel by horse and buggy to celebrate Sunday Mass in a former Wanskuck Company Woolen Mills schoolhouse. On August 23, 1923, Bishop William A. Hickey formally erected the parish for the villages of Nasonville, Mohegan, Mount Pleasant, and Tarkiln and named Rev. A-P Desrochers as the first pastor; Fr. Desrochers said his first Mass on August 26. At the Bishop's suggestion the parish took the recently beatified Thérèse of Lisieux as its patroness. The Shrine's character was shaped from the outset by the miraculous healing of Mrs. Florilda Faford of Mohegan, attributed to St. Thérèse's intercession, which began to draw pilgrims to the rural property.
Building the Parish Campus (1924–1927)
On November 6, 1924, ground was broken for the three buildings — a combination church and school, a rectory, and a convent — that still anchor the property. Bishop Hickey dedicated them on October 4, 1925, formally placing the parish under the patronage of the newly canonized St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The Sisters of the Assumption from Nicolet, Canada arrived on July 15, 1926 and the school opened that September. Holy Saturday 1927 brought a serious fire that damaged the church; Masses continued in the convent and church hall while repairs were made, and the church was rededicated on August 14, 1927. Fr. Desrochers then built the parish's first outdoor chapel over the following year.
Holy Stairs, Stations of the Cross and the Outdoor Chapel
Fr. Adelard Laliberte, the second pastor (1934), built the first Holy Stairs with a reproduction of the Limpias Crucifix from Spain and the first outdoor Stations of the Cross, dedicated by Msgr. Peter A. Foley before nearly 5,000 people. Fr. Gedeon I. Lambert (1935–1945) installed highway signs directing pilgrims to the Shrine, added an access road, and rebuilt the Stations in concrete with plaques created by Amedeo Nardini of the Caproni Galleries in Boston, using stones from Rhode Island, Colorado, and New Hampshire. Fr. Lionel Dion (1945–1962) reconstructed the Holy Stairs as 28 steps in fieldstone, limestone, and granite, patterned after Rome's Scala Sancta (dedicated July 15, 1956 by Msgr. Stephen Grenier), and built the present outdoor chapel from Vermont granite and Tennessee crab orchard stone.
The Rosary Walk and Garden of the Saints (2022–present)
When Fr. Jose Parathanal, C.M.I. arrived on July 1, 2022 — the first Carmelite father ever to lead the Shrine — he found the original Rosary Walk destroyed by a 2019 storm. He commissioned local artist and parishioner David Lamontagne to build a new, larger and more durable monument: a series of ten brick structures with stone tablets bearing images of the mysteries on both faces. Bishop Robert C. Evans celebrated the centennial Mass and dedicated the new Rosary Walk on August 20, 2023. In fall 2025, Fr. Parathanal began rebuilding the Garden of the Saints, which is anticipated to be unveiled at the 103rd Shrine Anniversary in August 2026.
The Burrillville Catholic Collaborative
Since 2019 the Shrine has been formally merged with Our Lady of Good Help Parish in Mapleville, and in 2021 St. Patrick's in Harrisville was added to form the Burrillville Catholic Collaborative — three churches, one faith community. Fr. Jose Parathanal, C.M.I. serves as pastor of all three; Fr. Cyriac Kalampatt, C.M.I. is associate pastor; Deacon Richard J. Lapierre serves as deacon assistant and administrator of St. Patrick's. Mass times, bulletins, religious education, and parish registration are coordinated across the collaborative.
- Our Lady of Good Help — 1063 Victory Highway, Mapleville (Sunday 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM; Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM)
- St. Patrick — 45 Harrisville Main Street, Harrisville (Sunday 9:15 AM; Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM)
- St. Theresa Church and Shrine — 35 Dion Drive, Nasonville/Harrisville (Sunday 5:00 PM; Daily Mass Mon–Sat 8:30 AM; Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM)
Parish Staff
The Shrine and its parish offices are led by a small team of Carmelite priests and lay staff housed in the Rectory at 35 Dion Drive. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM (closed Fridays).
- Rev. Jose Parathanal, C.M.I. — Pastor; member of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate from Kerala, India; canon lawyer and judge on the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal
- Rev. Cyriac Kalampatt, C.M.I. — Associate Pastor / Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Mr. Richard J. Lapierre — Deacon Assistant
- Rev. Bernard O'Reilly, Ph.D. — Pastor Emeritus
- Mr. N. Peter Lamoria — Office Manager and Music Director (401-568-8280)
- Mrs. Pat Ducharme — Religious Education ([email protected])
- Shrine Coordinator and Events Director: Silvia Aldridge
Parish Ministries and Formation
The Shrine is sustained by an unusually broad range of lay ministries for a small rural parish, including liturgical, musical, scriptural and devotional groups, plus Religious Education for the parish's children.
- Altar Servers — needed for Sunday and Daily Masses
- Lectors — needed for Sunday and Daily Masses
- Eucharistic Ministers — training available through Deacon Rick
- Music Ministry — Adult Choir (Tuesdays 6:30–8:00 PM at St. Theresa Church Hall) and Youth Choir (Sundays after the 10:30 AM Mass at OLGH; grades 3–12)
- Hospitality Ministry — caring for Shrine visitors
- Women's Prayer Group — 3rd Saturday of each month after the 8:30 AM Mass at the St. Theresa Convent
- Parish Bible Study — 3rd Wednesday of each month, 7:00 PM, September–May at St. Theresa Church Hall
- Religious Education — registration open for 2026–27 academic year
- Shrine Confraternity and Pious Union of Friends of St. Thérèse — lay organizations dedicated to the works and prayers of the Shrine
- Memorial Mass Association — monthly Mass offered for deceased enrollees
- Volunteer program — for pilgrim visits and group retreats
Sacramental Life
The Shrine and its collaborative parishes celebrate all seven sacraments. Baptisms are generally held the first weekend of the month; First Communion and Confirmation are prepared through the Religious Education program; the Sacrament of Penance is offered as listed above; weddings can be arranged at the Shrine by speaking to the pastor as soon as possible after engagement; Anointing of the Sick is available by appointment; and inquiries about Holy Orders or religious life are referred to the Diocese of Providence Office of Vocations.
- Baptism
- First Communion & Confirmation
- Penance (Reconciliation)
- Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Orders / Religious Life
Retreats and Pilgrimages
The Shrine encourages both individual and group pilgrimages. Its 9-acre campus, set in the woods of Nasonville, offers silence, peace, and abundant opportunities for focused meditation on the saints. Group visits — including school and Religious Education trips — are arranged in advance through the parish office so the Shrine can offer its best hospitality. Individual retreatants can contact the pastor for help planning a personal retreat, and brochures and group-visit sheets are available on the website.
- Outdoor Shrine precinct open 365 days a year, sunrise to sunset
- Holy Stairs, Stations of the Cross, Rosary Walk, Garden of the Saints
- Outdoor Chapel, Shrines of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Fatima
- Picnic tables and parish hall available for meals
- School and Religious Education visits welcomed
- National Eucharistic Congress pilgrimage hosting on July 1, 2026
Visiting the Shrine
The Church is open for prayer daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and the outdoor Shrine precinct is open 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset. The parish office (in the Rectory at 35 Dion Drive) is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM and closed Fridays. Picnic tables are available outdoors; the parish hall can be used for meals in inclement weather.
- 35 Dion Drive, Harrisville, RI 02830
- Phone: (401) 568-8280
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: burrillvillecatholic.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. A-P Desrochers1923–1934
First pastor; named by Bishop Hickey; celebrated first Mass Aug 26, 1923; oversaw building of church/school, rectory, convent and the parish's first outdoor chapel.
- Rev. Adelard Laliberte1934–1935
Second pastor; built the original Holy Stairs with a reproduction of the Limpias Crucifix from Spain and the first outdoor Stations of the Cross.
- Rev. Gedeon I. Lambert1935–1945
Added highway shrine signs, an access road, the oratory, and rebuilt the Stations of the Cross in concrete with plaques by Amedeo Nardini (Caproni Galleries, Boston).
- Rev. Lionel Dion1945–1962
Reconstructed the Holy Stairs in 28 steps of fieldstone/limestone/granite (dedicated 1956) and built the present outdoor chapel from Vermont granite and Tennessee crab orchard stone.
- Rev. John P. Deary1991–1994
Continued shaping the shrine grounds; his sudden death on Dec 4, 1994 led to an annual founding feast for the Shrine.
- Rev. Gerard Caron2004–
Returned the tabernacle to center sanctuary; fostered devotion to St. Faustina and Divine Mercy; began the tradition of celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday.
- Rev. Michael J. McMahon2015–2022
First pastor under the yoking with Our Lady of Good Help; oversaw major restorations of the Holy Stairs, HVAC, electrical, parking, kitchen and gift shop.
- Rev. Jose Parathanal, C.M.I.2022–present
First Carmelite father to lead the Shrine; led the centennial (2023) and the new Rosary Walk; rebuilding the Garden of the Saints.