“Seek the well-being of the city to which I have sent you.  Pray for it to the Lord.  For in seeking its well-being you shall find your own.”  Jeremiah 29:7

As you read these powerful words, we welcome you to the website of St. Therese Catholic School at our Parish and Shrine of the Little Flower. This scripture from the prophet Jeremiah has been the vision and mission of St. Therese Parish and School since October 1st, 2009. At the geographic center of Albuquerque, St. Therese is the most accessible parish and Catholic school in our city. We take our mission seriously -- to seek the well being and protection of our children and their families as well as to try to heed the larger call of our Christian faith to care for the little ones of the Lord.

As a major shrine of the world to St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Saint Thérèse of Lisieux), daily our children are surrounded by the physical, spiritual, and representational presence of St. Therese and her "Little Way" of small acts of kindness towards spiritual growth. Besides the popular and beloved Saint of Lisieux, our school and parish campuses enrich and challenge us to seek the well-being of others.

As we approach the parish hall, our community passes by a bronze statue of "Homeless Jesus" by Timothy Schmalz. This powerful image of Jesus sleeping on a city bus stop bench has the ability to enter the very souls of all of who sit or pass by it. It is meant to push us to face the persistent problem of homelessness. By depicting Jesus as a homeless person or being asked to see Jesus in homeless people, we are challenged to live out the message of Matthew 25: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these sisters and brothers of mine, you did for me."

Here at St. Therese Catholic School and Parish, we have a strong commitment to helping those in need of alleviation and education. We try to offer direct help with the girls and boys of our school by assisting at the monthly Food Distribution and other projects. We work through Social Justice Ministries to change systems that cause and perpetuate poverty and inequality. Passing "Homeless Jesus" hopefully changes our hearts and minds so that we too might be moved to help those in need -- for it is when we become "other-oriented" that we discover our own contentment and well being. 

Thank you for visiting our school's website. Come and visit our beautiful school and shrine campuses. May St. Therese pick roses from the heavenly gardens and send them to you as countless blessings. In closing, read the first two lines of this welcome letter again! 

Father Vincent Paul Chávez
Pastor