It is, at first glance, an illogical thought. After all, for many, it is the very dysfunctionality of the Martin family that makes Thérèse so attractive as a role model for modern times. But the Church, too, seems anxious to place Thérèse's parents on a pedestal as presiding over an ideal family, despite the facts and the clear wishes of Thérèse's sisters, one of whom lived on in the Carmel until the 1960s, that there should be no attempt to promote veneration of their mother and father. Last year, Louis and Zélie Martin were beatified by Pope Benedict XVI — one step short of canonisation. And in the crypt of the basilica is a reliquary, donated by the people of Ireland, containing their bones. There are plans being made to send it too out on tour. 

There is much in the cult of Thérèse that is explicable — principally her appeal to a contemporary audience, struggling to reconcile faith with modernity. Yet there is so much more than makes no sense at all to our secular, sceptical age. Indeed, the crowds that have paid homage to her relics — it is estimated that in Ireland in 2001, the 14-day tour attracted 75 per cent of the country's population — have left even those who treasure her example struggling for an explanation. Sisters Marie Lucille and Monique Marie and Father McGoldrick all admitted frankly that the modern phenomenon of Thérèse had left them mystified. 

They would, of course, point to God's hand. Others, less devout, might liken the cult of Thérèse to the myths that grow up around other (mainly female) characters in history, such as St Joan of Arc, Cleopatra or more recently Diana, Princess of Wales. Facts are discarded and emotion takes over as a version of a life makes such an impact on a wide audience that the myth grows to eclipse what lies behind it. At Lisieux, to be fair, strenuous efforts are made to root Thérèse in a place and in her writings, which, for example, are the basis for all decorations in the interior of the basilica. However, once her relics are on their travels, it seems that pilgrims, in the uncertain times we live in, make of them what they will.