She was described as the "Little Jesus Flower" for her small acts of kindness and love, and Australian Catholics are lining-up to pay homage to the relics of France's Saint Therese of Lisieux.

Key points: Saint Therese, a French catholic, was born in 1873 and became a nun at age 15

Saint Therese, a French catholic, was born in 1873 and became a nun at age 15 Her autobiography and spiritual memoir, Story of a Soul, lead to her being canonised in 1925

Her autobiography and spiritual memoir, Story of a Soul, lead to her being canonised in 1925 Saint Therese's bones and those of her sainted parents are on a national tour of Australia

Saint Therese of Lisieux became a nun at the young age of 15. ( Supplied )

In this case relics do not mean an object associated to the saint — the relics are her bones.

The last time Saint Therese's relics were in Australia was 18 years ago, but this time the relics of her parents, Saint Louis and Saint Zelie Martin, will be included in a four-month national tour.

Her parents are the only married couple to have been canonised.

Mike Humphrys is from the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, and is the coordinator of the pilgrimage of the Saint Therese relics and those of her parents, Saint Louis and Saint Zelie Martin.

"The bones are in quite elaborate reliquaries, which is basically just containers or boxes," Mr Humphrys said.

"When they come into the churches … it gives people a chance to come … to touch, to stand in there, to pray, in some cases kiss, others put roses and flowers on these reliquaries.

"They're quite beautiful in themselves, but it's really about just making some physical contact with the bones.

"You're not actually touching the physical bones but [touching] in terms of connection with these saints."

People gather around the relics of Saint Therese's parents, Saint Louis and Saint Zelie Martin. ( ABC Gold Coast: Solua Middleton )

Born in 1873, Saint Therese entered a Catholic convent after personally beseeching the Pope to allow her to become a nun at the unusually young age of 15.

Shortly after her death, her writings, called Story of a Soul, captivated the hearts of many and she was eventually canonised in the Catholic tradition as a saint in 1925.

'It's the simple things'

Mr Humphrys said Saint Therese, along with Saint Francis, became one of the more popular saints during the 20th century.

Mike Humphrys from the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane. ( ABC Gold Coast: Solua Middleton )

"It was this thing called 'the little way'," he said.

"She said she wanted to be a saint, and saints are a part of the Catholic tradition, but a lot of people felt that you needed to be religious or a clergy to attain that.

"But she just said that it's the simple things [being saintly]; it's being kind, it's smiling, it's making little sacrifices for people — that was the way God appreciated.

"And above all, it's about loving people in their own way and getting very simple things is the pathway to holiness and to becoming a saint.

"[Through visiting the relics] there's an opportunity for people to touch the story of Saint Therese and her spirituality and her life, and to be inspired and encouraged in living closer to God and in love for one another."

Gabrielle Parada brought her three children to see Saint Therese's relics. ( ABC Gold Coast: Solua Middleton )

Touched by a saint

Lynette Evans is the secretary of St Brigid's catholic church in Nerang and attended Allambe Memorial Park on the Gold Coast to view the touring relics.

"It's a privilege to have them here with us," she said.

"It's hard to explain — I get goosebumps just thinking about them.

"It's such a wonderful thing. She is travelling the world, this time with her parents, and we get to pay homage to such a wonderful young woman."

Gabrielle Parada from Nerang said being in the presence of the relics with her three children made her emotional.

"I think it's the love of family — it's very overwhelming," she said.

"Especially in this day and era, the faith is lacking, and we definitely need to continue the faith.

"We need to teach [faith to] our children and I try and embed that in my children as much as possible."

Moving a saint

Queensland general manager for InvoCare's cemeteries and crematoria, Andrew Dreghorn, said it was a great honour to host the exhibits, but planning had been a significant logistical exercise for the four-month national tour.

Andrew Dreghorn from Invocare is involved with the logistics of moving the relics. ( ABC Gold Coast: Solua Middleton )

"The last four months we've been really concentrating on the 'how do we move the reliquary around?' and that's been quite an involved process," Mr Dreghorn said.

"We've actually fitted out three special vehicles with cradles to hold the relics, and we've done that with a view to transporting the relics between cities.

"We've got a special cradle installed that will hold the reliquary in place.

"Obviously it's very precious cargo and in the event of an accident they're really quite secure."

The tour continues around Australia.

To view the full itinerary visit the Catholic Mission website.