July 28, 2025
JUNEAU, ALASKA, USA
This was sadly my last Port with the Miller's !! We had their rental car today so we were able to cover a lot of the area. Our taxi driver out to rental car agency at the Airport suggested a whole itinerary! It was great to have the opinion of a native who so loves his home! First destination, the Shrine of Saint Therese, the patron saint of Alaska.
This was a full circle moment for me! When I was a kid I had an aunt who had been a former nun and she taught me the prayer, Little Flower, in this hour, show me your power. I use it all the time, but never really questioned / knew its roots, till today. St. Therese was young girl in Lisieux, France who died at 24 from tuberculosis. In 1888, at the age of 15, she became a Carmelite nun ( I believe my Aunt Mary was a former Carmelite nun) and Saint Therese was known as "the Little Flower" and is one of the most venerated saints we have, due to her simplicity and practicality of her approach to spiritual life. It turns out that Alaska's first Bishop, Joseph Raphael John Crimont, held a deep personal devotion to St. Therese even before she was canonized. He reportedly knew members of her family in France. He is even buried in her shrine's crypt. It is a stunningly place I will always remember!
Merciful Love Labyrinth at entry to shrine island.
Next we went to the Brotherhood Bridge another spot known for bear sighting but alas just another lovely view.
