Coincidence?

I listen to the Hallow app daily, and one of the series in my “Routine” features stories about Catholic Saints.

On October 1st, the Feast Day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the narrator shared excerpts from her autobiography. Inspired, I bought the book and planned to read it on my upcoming flights. (I had two trips scheduled for October.)

I suppose my interest in St. Thérèse was stirred in part because she was my grandmother’s favorite Saint. For a special occasion in 2008, my grandmother gave me a statue and a small plaque of the Saint. She told me, “Ask her to pray for you.”

And I don’t think I ever did.

(Sorry, MawMaw.)

But now I really wanted to delve into the autobiography and understand why my grandmother loved her so much.

Well, I forgot the book. Both times. Two trips. Two chances.

And I left it behind each time. I was so annoyed with myself.

That’s the backstory.

Now, the rest of the story.

When (most) Catholics travel, we attend weekend Mass. I usually choose a church based purely on its proximity to my hotel, and this time was no different.

On our second October trip (to Napa Valley), the closest Catholic Church, St. Apollinaris, was just half a mile from our hotel.

Yay, convenience!

We’d originally planned to attend Saturday evening Mass, but I knew it wasn’t appropriate to go to church after a wine tasting. So, we decided to attend the 10:30 AM Mass on Sunday.

As we pulled into the parking lot, volunteers were helping direct traffic. I laughed and said, “That seems excessive for a neighborhood church,” then didn’t give it another thought.

What happened next took my breath away.

As we approached the church's entrance, I saw a sign:

“This line to view the St. Thérèse of Lisieux relics.”

I blinked.

What?

The plaque given to my by my grandmother,

We followed the crowd through the regular entrance for Mass.

Inside, a long line stretched up the right side of the church, and a large glass case sat at the front of the pews.

I didn’t immediately grasp what was going on.

During announcements, the commentator explained that the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux would be on display until 2:00 PM, and anyone who hadn’t yet had the chance to view them could do so after Mass.

The front of the card given to relic viewers.

And suddenly, it all made sense.

On October 26, 2025, we just happened to attend one of the locations where St. Thérèse’s relics were on display during their U.S. tour; a journey with only 40 scheduled visits across 11 states. One of those stops was this unassuming church I randomly chose to attend in Napa.

(I have all this information now because I looked it up after the fact!)

Coincidence?

It sure didn’t feel like one.

I write about the Divine in the Daily, but sometimes those God Winks are so brazen they knock the breath out of me, and this was one of those times!

The back of the card given to relic viewers.

A Saint I had just begun to rediscover.

An autobiography I forgot, not once, but twice.

A sacred encounter with her relics on the only day we’d be there.

Yep, God is a showoff.

And I’m still amazed.

And grateful.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us.

The statue given to my by my grandmother.