St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Thérèse of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite nun called the “Little Flower,” lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France. In French-speaking areas, she is known as Thérèse of Lisieux. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is read and loved throughout the world. Thérèse Martin was born on January 2, 1873. She entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24. She was canonized in 1925, and two years later she and St. Francis Xavier were declared co-patrons of the missions. On October 19, 1997, Saint John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church.  We celebrate her feast day on October 1.