St Thérèse: The Little Flower

Tomorrow (Friday 1st October) is the Feast day of St Thérèse of Lisieux - The Little Flower of Jesus.
St Thérèse was born in Alençon in France on 2nd January 1873 and entered the Carmelite Monastery at age 15. St Thérèse died from consumption on 30th September 1897 at the fragile age of 24.
She was canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1925, and declared Patroness of the Mission in 1927. John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church in 1997.

St Thérèse is renowned for her 'Little Way'.

"But this love of mine, how to shew it? Love needs to be proved by action. Well, even a little child can scatter flowers, to scent the throne-room with their fragrance; even a little child can sing, in its shrill treble, the great canticle of Love. That shall be my life, to scatter flowers - to miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word, always doing the tiniest things right, and doing it for love."
(Knox, Autobiography, p. 237)

St Thérèse holds a special significance for me. I chose her to be my Confirmation Saint. I was naturally drawn to her kind heart and unique spiritual presence. I was fortunate enough, earlier this year to visit her relics. It was a spectacular experience, in which I felt Thérèse was very close to me, guiding me in my decisions with her love and care. I find a great sense of calmness and consolation when praying to St Thérèse. She takes the 'busy' aspect out of life, and seems to provide an atmosphere of serenity and clarity within the chaos of everyday events.
As a young saint, I can relate to her and truly feel inspired by the events in her life, and hopefully try to replicate her behaviour as I travel my own faith journey.

The Carmelites order, particularly the nuns in Dolgellau are a superb example of St Thérèse's dedication and loyalty to her faith. They emanate the example she sets and their solidarity truly does provide an atmospheric loyalty to Christian spirituality.

At the age of 14, St Thérèse went on a pilgrimage with her father, Louis Martin to Rome to see Pope Pius XI. Likewise at aged 14 I was able to visit Rome, and I really felt a parallel with St Thérèse, as though I was following her footsteps.

I feel St Thérèse as a constant presence in my life. When we moved to our new home I, one day noticed a couple of wild roses growing in the hedge behind the house. It seemed like a sign that she was blessing our new home and letting us know she was with us.
My mum has since searched relentlessly for a statue of St Thérèse which we can place in the rockery of our garden!

'My way is all confidence and love' - St Thérèse
May you feel inspired to follow this beautiful saint's example, and echo her loving behaviour through simple acts of love and charity, giving up your small sufferings to our Lord.

God Bless You,
With love and prayers,
Stephanie