St Thérèse of Lisieux

Thérèse Martin entered the Carmel of Lisieux at fifteen. In a short hidden life she offered small daily acts with great love, describing a childlike path of confidence in God's mercy. Her autobiography Story of a Soul was published after her death from tuberculosis and reached readers around the world.

France in the late nineteenth century was marked by religious tension and industrial change. Thérèse's message of small, hidden fidelity spoke gently into that setting.

• Entering Carmel at the age of fifteen
• Formulating her 'little way' of spiritual childhood
• Writing Story of a Soul during her final illness

The little way — trusting God as a child trusts a parent, and offering ordinary moments with love.

For anyone who feels small, unseen or overwhelmed, Thérèse offers a path where hiddenness is not failure but a way of love.

People turn to St Thérèse of Lisieux in matters of:

Loving God, help us to walk the little way of St Thérèse, offering ordinary moments with trust, that your love may quietly grow in us. Amen.

1. 1873

   Born in Alençon

2. 1888

   Enters the Carmel of Lisieux

3. 1896

   Diagnosed with tuberculosis

4. 1897

   Dies at Lisieux

5. 1925

   Canonised

6. 1997

   Declared Doctor of the Church

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