Novena to St Therese of Lisieux, Killarney Parish

What to Expect

Killarney Parish holds its annual nine day novena to St Therese of Lisieux, known widely as The Little Flower, each September, running from the 22nd through to the 30th and building towards her feast day on 1 October. The novena follows the traditional pattern of a set prayer said each day of the nine, usually attached to the parish’s regular Masses at St Mary’s Cathedral rather than run as a separate evening service. St Therese is one of the most widely venerated saints in Irish parish life, a French Carmelite nun who died in 1897 and was canonised in 1925, and devotion to her spread quickly through Irish parishes in the twentieth century through relics tours and her writings on what she called her “little way.” This novena is a fixture of the parish’s autumn calendar alongside its other September and October devotions, including the weekly novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour that continues on Mondays throughout the same period.

Because the novena is folded into the cathedral’s existing Mass times rather than added as an extra service, attending is as simple as coming to any of the scheduled Masses during the nine days.

Good to Know

• Runs 22 to 30 September 2026, closing on the eve of St Therese’s 1 October feast day.
• Held at St Mary’s Cathedral, New Street, Killarney, as part of the parish’s regular Mass schedule.
• Free to attend, no booking required.
• Exact daily Mass times are published in the parish newsletter closer to the date, since they can shift slightly around the parish’s autumn schedule.
• The novena has run annually in Killarney Parish for many years, always closing on 30 September.
• Parish contact for confirmation of times: 064 6631014 or killarney@dioceseofkerry.ie.

Getting There

St Mary’s Cathedral is in Killarney town centre on New Street, within walking distance of the town’s car parks and the bus and rail station. It backs onto Killarney National Park, so the cathedral is easy to find as part of a wider visit to the town.