Feast of St. Theresa of Lisieux

When:
October 1, 2023 all day
2023-10-01T00:00:00-04:00
2023-10-02T00:00:00-04:00

Who was St. Theresa Of Lisieux?

Born on January 2, 1873 in Alencon, France, Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin (better known now as St.Theresa of Lisieux) battled through a great deal of adversity in her early life before blossoming into the influential saint who is an example to many Catholics today. 

Therese’s parents were both very religious. She was born the youngest of nine siblings and was raised by a nurse for the first 15 months of her life as her mother’s health was declining. Therese grew up surrounded by a great knowledge of Christian practices and a love for Jesus. Her mother passed away when she was only 4 years old. Her family life, although happy became more complicated when two of her older sisters moved out to join the Carmelite convent. The family found itself drained of the optimism and energy that it had previously possessed, but they managed to cope through prayer, church and each other’s company. 

At the age of 10, Therese developed a seemingly incurable illness that caused her a great deal of suffering and discomfort. No medication or treatments were effective at treating her sickness, but in a miraculous fashion, Therese one day found herself completely healed after praying to Mother Mary for a cure. This miracle prompted Therese to commit to life her life in pursuit of sainthood. 

Therese was known to be a shy and sensitive person who often found herself upset or crying if she thought someone was unhappy with her. For years she tried to become less sensitive but with no success. One Christmas Day, her father had said something that would have normally upset her but she didn’t cry. Instead, she found herself understanding why her father had said such a thing and felt empathy for him. From that moment on, she was always able to feel more empathy for others and became less sensitive. She attributed that Christmas as a time of “conversion” for her when Jesus had come into her heart and done what she could not do herself.   

Now that she was able to have empathy for others, she declared that she was going to become a Carmelite and serve her faith. Unfortunately, due to her young age, Therese was deemed ineligible to receive the Carmelite title, and instead opted to serve as a nun. She was fortunate to live with two of her sisters in the same convent. She lived in the convent for nine years until she came down with tuberculosis at age 24 and passed away with her sisters by her side. During her final years, she suffered greatly but remained positive and continued to pray for others in need.

St. Theresa was not necessarily declared a saint for performing any remarkable acts, but rather for her passion, love and commitment to the Catholic faith.