St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Feast day: October 1
Patron of missions, missionaries, florists, gardeners, pilots, france, russian catholics, people with terminal illness, tuberculosis patients, orphans, homeless people
Their story
Thérèse Martin was born in Alençon, France, in 1873, the youngest of five daughters of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin. Her mother died when she was only four, and Thérèse became a sensitive child who cried easily. On Christmas Eve in 1886, she received the grace to overcome her oversensitivity and began to live for others. She later called this her conversion. Thérèse longed to give her life to God as a Carmelite nun, but she was too young. On a pilgrimage to Rome she even asked Pope Leo XIII for permission. At fifteen she was allowed to enter the Carmel of Lisieux, where two of her sisters already lived. Inside the convent, Thérèse did nothing that looked extraordinary. Instead, she discovered what she called her “Little Way”: trusting God like a small child and doing small, ordinary things with great love. She smiled at a sister who annoyed her, accepted being misunderstood, and offered every small sacrifice to Jesus. She died of tuberculosis in 1897 at the age of twenty-four, promising to let fall a shower of roses from heaven. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, became one of the most beloved spiritual books in the world. She was canonized in 1925 and named a Doctor of the Church in 1997.
A prayer for intercession
St. Thérèse, you showed us that holiness is not only for the great, but for everyone who loves in little things. Pray for us as we come to know the saints as our extended family in Christ. Teach us your Little Way of trust and love. Help us to do ordinary things with extraordinary love, to be patient with those who try us, and to rest like children in the arms of our Father. Intercede for us from heaven, as you promised. Amen.