Today the Church celebrates Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Virgin and Doctor of the Church, affectionately known as the “Little Flower.”
Born Thérèse Martin in Normandy, France, in 1873, she grew up in a deeply Catholic family. Her parents, Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, would themselves later become the first married couple to be canonised together.
Thérèse felt called to religious life from an early age and, after receiving special permission, entered the Carmelite convent at Lisieux when she was just 15 years old. She would spend the remainder of her short life within its walls, devoted to prayer, community life and ordinary daily duties.
It was within this hidden life that Thérèse developed the spirituality for which she became famous – her “Little Way.” She understood that holiness did not necessarily require extraordinary deeds. Instead, every small action, sacrifice and difficulty could be offered to God when carried out with great love.
She once wrote: “I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul.”
Thérèse had a particular desire to pray for priests and missionaries and understood her enclosed life as an apostolate for the whole Church. Although she never travelled to the missions herself, her extraordinary missionary spirit led to her later being declared a patron saint of the missions.
Thérèse died from tuberculosis on 30 September 1897, aged just 24. After her death, her spiritual writings were published as The Story of a Soul, introducing her “Little Way” to millions of people around the world.
She was canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and, in 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church, recognising the profound importance of her spiritual teaching.
Saint Thérèse reminds us that holiness is possible in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life: doing small things with extraordinary love and placing our complete trust in God.
🙏 Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us.
