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| St Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) |
October is another month of saints and we start with one of the most beloved saints, whose feast day is October 1st. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux was born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin on
January 2, 1873 was a Discalced Carmelite nun widely venerated in modern times. She
is popularly known as "The Little
Flower". Thérèse has been a highly influential model of sanctity
for Catholics and for others because of the "simplicity and practicality
of her approach to the spiritual life". Together with Saint Francis of Assisi, she is one of
the most popular saints in the history of the church. Pope Pius X called her "the greatest saint of
modern times" while his successor. Pope Pius XI accorded her as the Patroness of the Gardens of Vatican City on 11 May 1927, granting her the title
as the "Sacred Keeper of
the Gardens'".
Thérèse
felt an early call to religious
life, and overcoming various obstacles, in 1888 at the early age of 15, she
became a nun and joined two of her elder sisters in the cloistered Carmelite community of Lisieux, Normandy. She tried to enter
the convent at a younger age but was refused – she still went to speak to the
Pope and he gave her permission to enter, even at such a young age. 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 on September 30, 1897.
Thérèse is well known throughout the world, with the Basilica of Lisieux being the second-largest place of pilgrimage
in France after Lourdes. She was canonized in 1925. Her autobiography ‘Story of
a Soul’ is one of the most popular spiritual books. Her parents Louis Martin
and Zelie were also canonized in 2015.
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