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In honor of the Year of the Priest and the first visit of the relics of St. Therese to Great Britain, the Catholic Truth Society has published the booklet "Praying for Priests with St. Therese of Lisieux," written by Maureen O'Riordan, the author of this Web site.  It includes a special Novena for Priests.  64 pages.  Price:  1.95 British pounds; about $3.22 in U.S. dollars, plus shipping.  To order it, click on the image at left.

St. Therese of Lisieux loved the priesthood and consecrated herself for priests, calling herself "an apostle to apostles."  She did not pray for priests for their sake only, but out of love for the souls they were to serve.  She prayed for the priest in solidarity with Jesus in the Eucharist, with Mary, with the Church, and with the world, and offered her life for their apostolic ministry.  In this Year for Priests, Therese can lead us to share in this work of prayer by means of the novena for priests included here, composed entirely of excerpts from the critical edition of her letters to a priest and a seminarian.

 

 Saint Therese of Lisieux

 

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Saint Therese of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face
*icon courtesy of William Hart McNichols

 

          St. Therese of Lisieux, born Therese Martin, was a young French girl, passionately in love with Jesus Christ, who became a Discalced Carmelite nun at age fifteen and died of tuberculosis at age twenty-four in a monastery in Lisieux, France.

     Therese experienced extraordinary breakthroughs in what is possible in a human being's relationship with God and with other humans. Since her death, she has fascinated countless people. Her memoir, "Story of a Soul," became the religious bestseller of the 20th century. Countless miracles have been attributed to her intercession. She was canonized in 1925 and, in 1997, named a Doctor of the Church. She is often called the "Little Flower."

     For years I have been speaking about St. Therese, and now I hope to serve those who meet her in cyberspace. This Web site is a portal to Therese's writings and the best writings about her. I will add to its substance in the future. Whether you know Therese well or are just meeting her, I pray that this meeting in cyberspace will deepen your encounter with her and with the Merciful Love of the God whose praises she sings.

     I am grateful to the Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites for permission to quote from their authoritative translation of Therese's writings.

"My God, allow our sister to go on making You loved."

Maureen O'Riordan
Philadelphia, Pa.
USA

The first liturgical feast of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin is celebrated on July 12, 2009.

 

The first liturgical feast of Blessed Zelie and Louis Martin, the parents of St. Therese, will be celebrated on Sunday, July 12, the anniversary of their marriage in 1858. The Shrine at Lisieux has announced a two-day celebration of liturgy, prayer, and festivities.Cardinal Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan, will preside at a Pontifical Mass in the Basilica of St. Therese, where Louis and Zelie were beatified on October 19, 2008.

 

 

In honor of the first feast of the new blesseds, I am happy to present the photo show "Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux: Their lives and beatification" above. Please celebrate the feast by joining us in this virtual pilgrimage to the places Louis and Zelie made holy by living with such faith, hope, and love. View the historic exhibit "Story of a Family" 2008 mounted at Lisieux in honor of the beatification, with furniture, possessions, documents, and photos belonging to the Martin family. See the images of the beatification ceremony and of the reliquary. Come as a pilgrim of the heart to honor the faithful servants of God, and ask for the grace to imitate them. 

 

Louis and Zelie Martin,
the father  and mother of St. Therese, were beatified on Mission Sunday, October 19, 2008, at Lisieux!

 

Sunday, October 19, 2008:  At a Pontifical Mass in the Basilica of Saint Therese at Lisieux, Jose Cardinal Saraiva Martins, the legate of Pope Benedict XVI, inscribed Zelie and Louis Martin in the Book of the Blessed.  Please see the events of Beatification Sunday. 

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