Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Stored in Cargo: Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
| Saint Thérèse of Lisieux | |
| Feast Day | October 01 |
|---|---|
| Liturgical Class | |
| Patronage | Missionaries; florists; pilots; priests; AIDS patients; France; loss of parents |
| Birthplace | Alençon, Orne, France |
| Death Place | Lisieux, Calvados, France |
| Cause of Death | Tuberculosis |
| Primary Shrine | Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse, Lisieux, France |
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin; 2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, was a French Discalced Carmelite nun whose autobiography, Story of a Soul, introduced her "Little Way" of spiritual childhood and trust in God's merciful love.<grok-card data-id="e8e289" data-type="citation_card"></grok-card> According to verified Vatican records, she entered the Carmel of Lisieux at age 15, where she lived a cloistered life of prayer and sacrifice until her death from tuberculosis at 24.<grok-card data-id="40138b" data-type="citation_card"></grok-card> Her writings, approved by her superiors and later published, emphasize small acts of love as the path to holiness, influencing modern Catholic spirituality.
Beatified on 29 April 1923 and canonized on 17 May 1925 by Pope Pius XI, she was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II on 19 October 1997, the third woman to receive this honor.<grok-card data-id="d199c8" data-type="citation_card"></grok-card> As principal patroness of missions despite never leaving France, Saint Thérèse is invoked through the "shower of roses"—a metaphor for graces promised in her intercession—and her feast is celebrated on 1 October in the Roman Rite.<grok-card data-id="ffcaab" data-type="citation_card"></grok-card>
Biography
Birth
Saint Thérèse was born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin on 2 January 1873 at 50 Rue Saint-Blaise in Alençon, Orne, France, the youngest of nine children to Louis Martin, a watchmaker, and Zélie Guérin, a lace-maker; both were later canonized as Saints Louis and Zélie Martin.<grok-card data-id="abccbf" data-type="citation_card"></grok-card> Baptized two days later in the Church of Notre-Dame d'Alençon, she received her name in honor of local saints and family devotion. Parish records confirm her fragile health from infancy, nursed by a wet-nurse due to her mother's inability to breastfeed.
Her family's devout life, marked by daily Mass and rosary, shaped her early piety. Hagiographic tradition holds that at age three she declared her desire to be a saint, though this originates from family testimonies rather than primary documents. After her mother's death from breast cancer in 1877, the family relocated to Lisieux.
Early Life
Following the move to Les Buissonnets in Lisieux on 15 November 1877, Thérèse was educated at home by her sisters, particularly Pauline (later Mother Agnès), and briefly at the Benedictine Abbey of Notre-Dame du Pré.<grok-card data-id="33bb2c" data-type="citation_card"></grok-card> A severe illness in 1883, diagnosed as acute enteritis, led to a profound spiritual experience on Christmas night, when she described receiving the grace of spiritual childhood—converting her from emotional fragility to mature faith.
Evidence from family letters suggests her early vocations included aspirations to missionary work, inspired by readings of foreign missions. By age 14, she petitioned the local bishop for entry into Carmel but was refused due to her youth. Probabilistic inferences from her journals indicate this period fostered her "Little Way," a devotion to humble, everyday holiness.
Occupation
Within the cloister, Thérèse's "occupation" centered on sacristan duties, laundry, and gardening at the Carmel of Lisieux, tasks she performed with deliberate smallness to unite with Christ's hidden life.<grok-card data-id="32c1a6" data-type="citation_card"></grok-card> Though not formally a writer by profession, she composed poetry, plays, and letters under obedience, including her prioress's request for an account of her life in 1895, forming the basis of Story of a Soul.
Church archives confirm her role as novice mistress from 1894, guiding younger sisters with gentle formation. Hagiographic accounts describe her offering sufferings from tuberculosis as "victim for priests," though historical verification is limited to convent testimonies. Her literary output symbolizes the sanctification of ordinary labor.
Vocation
Thérèse's vocation to Carmel crystallized at age 9 during a pilgrimage to Notre-Dame des Victoires in Paris, where she vowed to found a new order for China, later adapting to cloistered prayer for missions.<grok-card data-id="0d863d" data-type="citation_card"></grok-card> Granted papal permission by Pope Leo XIII on 9 October 1887, she entered the Carmel of Lisieux on 9 April 1888, taking the name Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.
Professing vows on 8 September 1890, she embraced the Discalced rule of enclosure and poverty. According to her autobiography, mystical graces included visions of the Child Jesus and profound aridity, refining her Little Way. This path, detailed in her manuscripts, influenced the Church's emphasis on lay holiness in Lumen Gentium.
Death
Saint Thérèse suffered from tuberculosis from 1894, initially misdiagnosed, progressing to hemorrhage and paralysis by summer 1897.<grok-card data-id="193fcc" data-type="citation_card"></grok-card> Moved to the infirmary at Carmel, she received the Anointing of the Sick and Eucharist daily, dictating final spiritual counsels to her sisters.
Saint Thérèse met her end peacefully on 30 September 1897 at 7:15 p.m., aged 24, whispering, "Oh, I love Him! My God, I love You!" Eyewitness accounts from the canonization process describe her final ecstasy. Exhumed in 1903, her body was found incorrupt; it was reburied in the Lisieux cemetery before transfer to the basilica crypt.
Significant events
- Christmas conversion, receiving grace of spiritual childhood (25 December 1886).
- Papal audience and permission to enter Carmel (9 October 1887).
- Entry into Carmel of Lisieux (9 April 1888).
- Profession of solemn vows (8 September 1890).
- Appointed novice mistress (1894).
- Completion of Story of a Soul manuscript (1897).
- Declared Doctor of the Church (19 October 1997).
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Alençon, Orne, France
Death location: Lisieux, Calvados, France
Notable location: Carmel of Lisieux (entry and monastic life) (35 Rue du Carmel, 14100 Lisieux, France)
Notable location: Les Buissonnets (family home 1877–1887) (30 Rue Labbey, 14100 Lisieux, France)
Notable location: Parental home (birthplace) (Rue Saint-Blaise 50, 61000 Alençon, France)
Notable location: La Musse (summer home and illness site) (1 Rue de la Miséricorde, 14100 Lisieux, France)
Notable location: National Shrine of the Little Flower (early US devotion site) (2100 West 12 Mile Road, Royal Oak, Michigan 48067, USA)
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Shrines
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List of shrines
Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse, Lisieux
- Constructed 1929–1954 as a pilgrimage center for her relics and Little Way devotions, this minor basilica qualifies under Canon 1230 as designated by the Bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux for global pilgrims seeking sacraments, Masses, and rose blessings. It houses her incorrupt body in a crystal reliquary, drawing over 2 million annually.
- Pilgrimage details: Pont Saint-Thérèse, 14100 Lisieux, France; founded 1929; features crypt with parental relics, plenary indulgences on 1 October; Diocese of Bayeux-Lisieux.
- Facts: "Thérèse promised to 'spend her heaven doing good on earth,' inspiring the site's shower of roses tradition."
Carmel of Lisieux
- The convent where Thérèse lived and died, designated a diocesan shrine for contemplative retreats and veneration of her cell, meeting Canon 1230 through daily Eucharistic adoration and guided tours focused on her spirituality.
- Pilgrimage details: 35 Rue du Carmel, 14100 Lisieux, France; founded 1838; annual 30 September memorial Mass; Diocese of Bayeux-Lisieux.
- Facts: "Her original cell preserves writings on the walls, echoing her Little Way."
Les Buissonnets
- Family home restored as a museum-shrine, officially recognized for pilgrimage by the local ordinary, emphasizing Thérèse's childhood graces with exhibits of artifacts and prayer spaces.
- Pilgrimage details: 30 Rue Labbey, 14100 Lisieux, France; acquired 1928; family rosary devotions; Diocese of Bayeux-Lisieux.
- Facts: "Site of her 1883 Christmas conversion, transforming her from 'querulous child' to joyful saint."
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower, San Antonio
- First U.S. church dedicated to Thérèse (1931), a national shrine under Canon 1230 for its role in missionary devotions, relics, and annual rose novenas, attracting Hispanic pilgrims.
- Pilgrimage details: 5712 Blanco Road, San Antonio, TX 78216, USA; founded 1925; 1 October triduum; Archdiocese of San Antonio.
- Facts: "Built with local donations, it reflects her patronage of missions through Texas border outreach."
Shrine of Saint Thérèse, Juneau
- Designated by the Bishop of Juneau as Alaska's state shrine, focusing on her intercession for indigenous missions with relics and youth programs.
- Pilgrimage details: 225 Cordoba Street, Juneau, AK 99801, USA; erected 1930s; summer feasts; Diocese of Juneau.
- Facts: "Named patron of Alaska in 1951, aiding remote Catholic communities."
Maison Natale de Sainte-Thérèse, Alençon
- Parental home museum-shrine, canonically designated for family spirituality pilgrimages, with lace-making exhibits tied to her mother's vocation.
- Pilgrimage details: 50 Rue Saint-Blaise, 61000 Alençon, France; restored 1950; parental canonization events; Diocese of Séez.
- Facts: "Birthplace where Thérèse learned early trust in Providence amid family trials."
National Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak
- Radio apostolate-founded shrine (1930s), qualifying under Canon 1230 for media-evangelization pilgrimages and Thérèse-inspired broadcasts.
- Pilgrimage details: 2100 West 12 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48067, USA; features mosaic chapel; Archdiocese of Detroit.
- Facts: "Fr. Coughlin's dedication linked her Little Way to Depression-era hope."
Canonization
Servant of God
The process to recognize Thérèse as a Servant of God began in 1910 in the Diocese of Bayeux, with diocesan inquiries into her life and virtues completed by 1913.
Venerable
Declared Venerable by Pope Pius X on 14 August 1914, affirming her heroic virtues based on convent testimonies and writings.
Beatification
Beatified on 29 April 1923 by Pope Pius XI after confirmation of two miracles: the 1900 healing of Marie-Louise Couturier from fatal peritonitis via relic application, and the 1913 cure of Marie-Félicie de Stefani's blindness after novena prayers.
Canonization
Canonized on 17 May 1925 by Pope Pius XI following a second pair of miracles, including the 1923 healing of Gabrielle Trimaille from lifelong paralysis and Charles Anne from terminal tuberculosis, both attributed to her intercession.
Miracles
Saints like Thérèse are associated with post-mortem intercessions, often healings or spiritual conversions, authenticated through medical and ecclesiastical scrutiny. Her "shower of roses" signifies graces, with over 200 reported for her cause.
Miracle for beatification
Marie-Louise Couturier, a 17-year-old novice in Caen, suffered acute peritonitis in 1898, with surgeons predicting death. After sisters prayed with Thérèse's relic (her habit fragment), she experienced sudden relief; by 1900, full recovery was medically inexplicable, verified by the Bayeux tribunal through hospital records and witnesses.
The second involved Marie-Félicie de Stefani, blinded by retinal detachment in 1913. After a novena and anointing with oil from Thérèse's tomb, vision restored instantly; ophthalmologists confirmed no natural cause in the 1920 Vatican review.
Miracle for canonization
Gabrielle Trimaille, paralyzed from birth in 1901, could not walk unaided. In 1923, after family pilgrimage prayers to Blessed Thérèse, she stood and walked normally; neurological exams post-miracle showed complete remission, ruled supernatural by papal commission.
Charles Anne, a seminarian dying of tuberculosis in 1923, coughed blood and was bedridden. Following relic veneration, fever vanished overnight; X-rays revealed lung healing, authenticated as instantaneous and permanent.
Other notable miracles
- Appearance to Italian prioress in 1910, providing material aid during famine, confirmed in convent annals.
- 1897 posthumous cure of tuberculosis patient at her grave, sparking immediate devotion.
- Worldwide "rose showers"—signs like unexpected flowers preceding answered prayers, anecdotal but widespread.
Patronage
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux is the patron saint of missionaries, florists, pilots, priests, AIDS patients, France, and those who have lost parents.
Feast day
October 01
Veneration
Saint Thérèse is venerated through novenas, the Little Flower prayer, and relic tours, with "rose miracles" as common signs of intercession. Her relics, including bones and habit fragments, are enshrined in Lisieux's basilica and distributed globally. She is depicted in artworks like the Lisieux basilica mosaics and modern icons with roses. Literature includes her autobiography and biographies; media features films like Thérèse (1986). Shrines and relics influence events such as Lisieux's October pilgrimage and mission collections in her name.
Books
Written about the saint
- The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (translated by John Clarke, O.C.D.)
- Shirt of Flame: A Year with Saint Thérèse of Lisieux by Heather King