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The Little Flower: The Life and Legacy of Saint Therese of Lisieux
Saint Therese of Lisieux, also known as the Little Flower, is one of the most beloved saints of the modern era. Born Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin on January 2, 1873 in Alençon, France, she was the youngest of nine children. She was declared a Doctor of the Church for her extraordinary spiritual writings by Pope St. John Paul II in 1997.
At the age of 15, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux and received the name Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. There, she dedicated her life to Christ, living out her “Little Way” of holiness based on her spiritual autobiography, The Story of a Soul.
The Little Flower is the patron saint of aviators, florists, and missions, as well as of the Archdiocese of Honolulu, the Diocese of Kalamazoo, and the Diocese of Lafayette.
In 1895, Therese was diagnosed with tuberculosis, a deadly illness at the time. She died on September 30th, 1897 at the age of 24. She was canonized on May 17th, 1925 by Pope Pius XI and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997 by Pope John Paul II. Her feast day is October 1st. Feast of the Little Flower is July 13th.
Saint Therese is remembered for her joyful and trusting faith, her unflinching commitment to do all things for love of God, and her unwavering confidence in the power of prayer. She wrote in her autobiography, “God does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.”
Little known trivia about Saint Therese of Lisieux:
• She was the first saint to be canonized in the 20th century.
• She was an accomplished musician, playing both the violin and the organ.
• She is the patron saint of the missions, having written several letters of encouragement to missionary priests.
• She is the patron saint of florists, having once said, “I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth.”
• She is the patron saint of aviators, having once said, “The desire to fly is an idea placed in the soul of man by God.”
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