St.
Therese is one of the most loved Saints. Her family was wealthy. Her
Father, Louis, was a watch maker
and her mother Zelie made lace. Therese was born January 2, 1873 in Alencon,
France and was one of nine children; Therese was the youngest of five living
ones.
Therese was kind, sweet, and giving, but
she was also very stubborn. When she was very young, Therese got very sick, but
soon recovered from it. Sadly, when Therese was only four her devout mother
died of breast cancer. Louis was heartbroken, but didn’t show it. He made a
decision to move to Lisieux, France, where his brother- in- law lived.
When
young Therese was about seven, she had a terrible fever and hallucinations. No
doctor knew what it was and Therese blamed it on the devil. On May 13, 1883 she
prayed to a statue of The Blessed Virgin Mary. The statue smiled and looked
full of love and affection. After that Therese was miraculously cured through
the intercession of Our Lady. In October of 1881, Louis enrolled Therese in Lisieux’s
Benedictine Abby. Therese was a good student and aroused envy in the others.
Therese wanted to be a nun and asked the
Convent for permission to be one, but they said no. So she asked the bishop,
and he suggested that she come back when she turned twenty-one. Therese did not
want to, so she convinced her father to let her travel with some French
pilgrims to Pope Leo XIII’s golden jubilee as a priest. Therese begged and
begged to be let in, and the Pope gave her the blessing.
Therese
became a nun September 30, 1897. She was
a good nun, and she worked hard and prayed often. Occasionally she fell asleep
at prayer hours, but she knew God still loved her. Therese came down with Tuberculosis in July of 1897, and died at the age of 24 on September 30, 1897. She was canonized a saint by Pope Pius XI on
May 17, 1925.
“Miss no single opportunity of
making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word;
always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”
-
St.
Therese of Lisieux
