Thérèse of Lisieux
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Thérèse of Lisieux “Saint Therese” and “St. Therese” redirect here. For written in her day, “We should not say improbable things, other similarly named saints, see Saint Teresa (disam- or things we do not know. We must see their real, and not biguation). their imagined lives.”[8] The depth of her spirituality, of which she said, “my way Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (Born Marie-Françoise- is all confidence and love,” has inspired many believers. Thérèse Martin, January 2, 1873 – September 30, 1897), In the face of her littleness she trusted in God to be her or Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, sanctity. She wanted to go to heaven by an entirely new O.C.D., was a French Discalced Carmelite nun. She is little way. “I wanted to find an elevator that would raise popularly known as "The Little Flower of Jesus" or sim- me to Jesus.” The elevator, she wrote, would be the arms ply, "The Little Flower." of Jesus lifting her in all her littleness. Thérèse has been a highly influential model of sanctity for Thérèse is well known throughout the world, with the Roman Catholics and for others because of the “simplic- Basilica of Lisieux being the second largest place of pil- ity and practicality of her approach to the spiritual life.” grimage in France after Lourdes.[9] Together with St. Francis of Assisi, she is one of the most popular saints in the history of the church.[2][3][4] Pope [5] Pius X called her “the greatest saint of modern times.” 1 Life Thérèse felt an early call to religious life, and overcom- ing various obstacles, in 1888 at the early age of 15, she became a nun and joined two of her elder sisters in the 1.1 Family background cloistered Carmelite community of Lisieux, Normandy. After nine years as a Carmelite religious, having fulfilled various offices such as sacristan and assistant to the novice mistress, and having spent her last eighteen months in Carmel in a night of faith, she died of tuberculosis at the age of 24. Her feast day is on October 1st. The impact of The Story of a Soul, a collection of her autobiographical manuscripts, printed and distributed a year after her death to an initially very limited audience, was great, and she rapidly became one of the most pop- ular saints of the twentieth century. Pope Pius XI made her the “star of his pontificate”.[6] She was beatified in 1923, and canonized in 1925. Thérèse was declared co- patron of the missions with Francis Xavier in 1927, and named co-patron of France with Joan of Arc in 1944. Rue Saint-Blaise’s house at Alençon : The family home and On October 19, 1997 Pope John Paul II declared her the Thérèse’s birthplace thirty-third Doctor of the Church, the youngest person, and at that time only the third woman, to be so honored. She was born in Rue Saint-Blaise,[10] Alençon, in Devotion to Thérèse has developed around the world.[7] France on January 2, 1873, the daughter of the Blessed Marie-Azélie Guérin, usually called Zélie,[11] a Thérèse lived a hidden life and “wanted to be unknown,” lacemaker,[12] and the Blessed Louis Martin,[13] a jew- yet became popular after her death through her spiri- eler and watchmaker.[14] Both her parents were devout tual autobiography. She also left letters, poems, religious Catholics. Louis had tried to become a canon regular, plays, prayers, and her last conversations were recorded wanting to enter the Great St Bernard Hospice, but had by her sisters. Paintings and photographs – mostly the been refused because he knew no Latin. Zélie, possessed work of her sister Céline – further led to her being rec- of a strong, active temperament, wished to serve the sick, ognized by millions of men and women. and had also considered entering consecrated life, but the Thérèse said on her death-bed, “I only love simplicity. prioress of the canonesses regular of the Hôtel-Dieu in I have a horror of pretence”, and she spoke out against Alençon had discouraged her enquiry outright.[15] Dis- some of the claims made concerning the Lives of saints appointed, Zélie learned the trade of lacemaking. She 1 2 1 LIFE The basilica of Alençon where St. Therese was baptized excelled in it and set up her own business on Rue Saint- Zélie Martin, mother of Thérèse. In June 1877 she left for [16] Blaise at age 22. Lourdes hoping to be cured, but the miracle did not happen..The Louis[17] and Zélie[18] met in early 1858 and married on Mother of God has not healed me because my time is up, and July 13 of that same year at the basilica[19] Notre Dame of because God wills me to repose elsewhere than on the earth Alençon. Both of great piety, they were part of the petit- bourgeoisie, comfortable Alençon. At first they decided to live as brother and sister in a perpetual continence, but 1.2 Birth and survival when a confessor discouraged them in this, they changed their lifestyle and had 9 children. From 1867 to 1870 they Soon after her birth in January 1873, the outlook for lost 3 infants and 5-and-a-half-year-old Hélène. All 5 of the survival of Thérèse Martin was very grim. Enteritis, their surviving daughters became nuns: which had already claimed the lives of four of her siblings, threatened Thérèse, and she had to be entrusted to a wet • Marie (February 22, 1860, a Carmelite in Lisieux, nurse, Rose Taillé,[24] who had already nursed two of the in religion, Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart, d. Jan- Martin children. Rose had her own children and could uary 19, 1940), not live with the Martins, so Thérèse was sent to live with [25] • Pauline (September 7, 1861, in religion, Mother her in the forests of the Bocage at Semallé. On Holy Agnes of Jesus in the Lisieux Carmel, d. July 28, Thursday April 2, 1874, when she was 15 months old, 1951), she returned to Alençon where her family surrounded her with affection. She was educated in a very Catholic en- • Léonie (June 3, 1863, in religion Sister Françoise- vironment, including Mass attendance at 5:30 AM, the Thérèse, Visitandine at Caen, d. June 16, 1941), strict observance of fasts, and prayer to the rhythm of the liturgical year. The Martins also practiced charity,[26] vis- • Céline (April 28, 1869, a Carmelite in Lisieux, in re- iting the sick and elderly and welcoming the occasional ligion, Sister Geneviève of the Holy Face, d. Febru- vagabond to their table. Even if she wasn't the model lit- ary 25, 1959), tle girl her sisters later portrayed, Thérèse was very sensi- • and finally Thérèse. tive to this education. She played at being a nun. One day she went as far as to wish her mother would die; Zélie was so successful in manufacturing lace[20] that when scolded, she explained that she wanted the happi- by 1870 Louis had sold his watchmaking shop[21] to a ness of Paradise for her dear mother. Described as gen- nephew and handled the traveling and bookkeeping end erally a happy child,[27] she was emotional too, and often of her lacemaking[22] business. cried: “Céline is playing with the little one with some 1.3 Early years 3 “I hear the baby calling me Mama! as she goes down the stairs. On every step, she calls out Mama! and if I don't respond every time, she remains there without going either forward or back.” Madame Martin to Pauline, November 21, 1875 fident and oversensitive, crying if anyone looked at me. I was only happy if no one took notice of me... It was only Louis Martin, father of Thérèse. " He was a dreamer and in the intimacy of my own family, where everyone was brooder, an idealist and romantic...To his daughters he gave wonderfully kind, that I could be more myself.”[30][31] touching and naïve pet names: Marie was his diamond, Pauline Three months after Zélie died, Louis Martin left his noble pearl, Céline the bold one..But Thérèse was his petite [32] reine, little queen, to whom all treasures belonged.”[23] Alençon, where he had spent his youth and mar- riage, and moved to Lisieux in the Calvados Depart- ment of Normandy, where Zélie’s pharmacist brother Isidore Guérin lived with his wife and their two daughters, bricks... I have to correct poor baby who gets into fright- Jeanne[33] and Marie. In her last months Zélie had given ful tantrums when she can't have her own way. She rolls up the lace business; after her death, Louis sold it. Louis in the floor in despair believing all is lost. Sometimes she leased a pretty, spacious country house, Les Buissonnets, is so overcome she almost chokes. She is a very highly- situated in a large garden on the slope of a hill overlook- strung child.” At 22, Thérèse, then a Carmelite, admitted: ing the town. Looking back, Thérèse would see the move "I was far from being a perfect little girl."[28] to Les Buissonnets as the beginning of the “second period of my life, the most painful of the three: it extends from On August 28, 1877, Zélie Martin died of breast cancer, the age of four-and-a-half to fourteen, the time when I re- aged 45. Her funeral was conducted in the basilica Notre discovered my childhood character, and entered into the Dame[29] of Alençon.