St Therese of Lisieux

I have been reading the "Little Flower", a book about the life of St Therese of Lisieux and her "little ways". It is really amazing. Her love of God and for God, her offerings and sacrifices, prayers and ultimately, her FAITH! How I wished that I had read it at the age of 10 or 12.

Therese was the youngest child of nine children born to Louis and Zelie Martin. Four of the children was called by the Lord at a very young age. She lost her mother at the age of 4 and she grew up under the care of her sisters and father. She is nicknamed the Little Queen by her father.

At a very tender age, she has already decided to serve the Lord as a Carmelite nun and that she wanted to be a saint. Granted the permission, she entered the convent in Lisieux at the age of 15 to give her whole life to God. Her religious name is Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Her devotion to God was very simple and childhood like. Every little thing she does was a manifestation of her love for God and others.

She was called by the Lord on 30 September 1897, at the age of 24, after a long fight with tuberculosis. Her last words were, "My God, I love You".

The Feast of St Therese of Lisieux, a.k.a. The Little Flower is celebrated on October 1st each year.

Important dates in the Life of St Therese of Lisieux
Birthday - January 2, 1873
Baptism - January 4, 1873
Death of her Mother, Zelie Guerin - August 28, 1877
Pauline, her sister, enters Carmel - October 2, 1882
Our Lady's Smile; Therese Healing - May 13, 1883
First Communion - May 8, 1884
Confirmation - June 14, 1884
Christmas Conversion - December 25, 1886
Audience with Pope Leo XIII - November 20, 1887
Entry into Carmel - April 9, 1888
Profession of Vows - September 8, 1890
Death of her Father, Louis Martin - July 29, 1894
Her Death, Entry into Heaven - September 30, 1897
Her autobiography "Story of a Soul" is published - September 30, 1898
Cause of Beatification Introduced at Rome - June 10, 1914
Beatification - April 29, 1923
Canonization - May 17, 1925
Declared Doctor of the Church - October 19, 1997