Her Story

Saint Thérèse as a child.

Feast Day: October 1

     Born in Alençon, France on January 2, 1873, Marie Françoise Thérèse Martin was the youngest of five girls: Marie, Pauline, Léonie, Céline and Thérèse.

     At the age of four, Saint Thérèse lost her mother, Blessed Zélie Martin, to breast cancer. Saint Thérèse was devastated. She was very close to her mother.

     After her mother's death, Thérèse chose her second-oldest sister Pauline to be her surrogate mother. 
     When Thérèse was ten years old, she experienced the pain of separation yet again when Pauline left home to become a Carmelite Nun.

     When Pauline left home, Thérèse came down with a serious illness that her father, Blessed Louis Martin (who was very close to Thérèse and called her "My Queen"), and sisters feared she might die from. For three weeks, Thérèse tossed and turned in bed, calling for her mother and for Pauline. Years after this, Thérèse said that she was sure it was satan.

     Then, Thérèse's family brought in a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her room. When Thérèse begged Our Lady for pity, the statue smiled at her! Instantly, Thérèse was cured of her illness. Since this miracle, the statue has been called "Our Lady of the Smile".

     Thérèse had been spoiled as a child. She was a very sweet and loving little girl, but she was also very much doted on. Then, on Christmas Eve 1886, she had a miraculous conversion. She became upset about a certain incident and ran up to her room. While in her room, Thérèse looked at her Crucifix and thought about our Crucified Lord. She stretched out her hands as she looked at the Cross. In an instant, she grew up! She no longer felt like a child. She wanted to save souls by giving her entire life to God.

     When Thérèse was fifteen years old, she knew the time had come for her to join the Carmelites in Lisieux, France. Nothing could be done to silence the sweet call in her heart.

     Since fifteen is such a young and unusual age to enter a convent, her father took her to the Bishop to get permission to enter at fifteen. When he told her to wait, the persistent little Saint decided to ask the Holy Father himself in Rome!

     On the day of her visit, it was forbidden to speak to the Holy Father. But Thérèse spoke to him anyway.

"In honor of your jubilee," Thérèse asked, "I ask permission to enter the Carmelites at the unusual age of fifteen."

     The Holy Father told Thérèse that if God willed it, it would happen. When Thérèse begged him more for permission, the guards came and carried her away!

     Our Lord did will Thérèse's entry to the convent. She received a letter from the convent soon after her visit to Rome that told her she would be allowed to enter after the Lent of that year, 1888. For three months, Thérèse devoted herself to little acts of love that only her Father in Heaven would notice. She once said, "Jesus does not so much look at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them."

     Finally, Thérèse entered the Carmelite convent where her sister Pauline lived. Before she came, Thérèse's other sister, Marie, the eldest, had entered the convent as well. Leonie had also left home to become a nun. She lived in many different convents, and didn't find the one God was calling her to (the Visitation Sisters) until after Thérèse died. That meant that the only sister left at home now was Céline. Although Céline wanted to become a nun, she decided to stay at home to take care of their father, who was in bad health, until he died.
     Thérèse was very happy at the convent. There, she could be close to her beloved Jesus all the time. This didn't mean that being a nun was easy for Thérèse though! It was quite the opposite!
     There was at the convent a certain Sister who disliked Thérèse. Thérèse had never done anything to make the Sister feel this way about her. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Thérèse decided to treat her as she would Jesus Himself.
Whenever she saw the Sister, she would smile. She gave her compliments and never complained to her or about her. This was one of the hardest things Thérèse ever had to do.
     Finally, the Sister asked Thérèse, "Why do you smile every time you see me?"
     Thérèse answered, "I'm smiling because I'm happy to see you!"
     The Sister was confused, but also very happy about what Thérèse told her. From then on, she wasn't so mean to Thérèse.
     Meanwhile, Thérèse's dear father had started to lose his memory. He became very tired and was confined to a wheelchair. His health slowly detereorated. Blessed Louis died at the age of 70.
     After Thérèse's father died, Céline entered Carmel. She brought with her her camera, with which she took many valuable pictures of the Little Flower at the convent.
     Thérèse was in her twenties when she learned that she had tuberculosis. She had been suffering very much but kept it to herself. When she could no longer hide her sickness, it was very far advanced.
Thérèse offered all of her sufferings to God. The Sisters never knew just how much she suffered because she always had a sweet smile on her face.
     On September 30, 1897, Thérèse passed from this world into Heaven at the young age of 24. Her last words were, "Oh! I love Him! My God, I love You!"

     Thérèse is the patroness of missionaries, France, those who suffer and those who grow flowers.
     It is said that when one prays to Saint Thérèse for a favor, she lets them know that their prayer was heard by sending them a rose or filling the air with the sweet smell of roses. "When I'm in Heaven," she promised, "I will let fall a shower of roses."