St. Therese - a poster displayed at Lisieux in 2009. With thanks to Peter and Liane Klostermann.

Read online for free "Therese of Lisieux: Doctor of the Church.  A Study of the Cause, Process, and Proclamation of October 19, 1997," a master's thesis by Mary-Ellen Malolepszy in the department of theological studies of Concordia University in Montreal.  Among other themes, the author examines:

•  the history of the cause for Therese as a doctor of the Church in detail, with some comments about the role attributed to American Catholic dignitaries; 
• the role played by the Carmelite Order in the process
• the issue of gender in relationship to Therese's doctorate; 
• contemporary themes in the life and doctrine of Therese
• future implications of  Therese's doctorate

This paper contains details about the process of Therese's doctorate that, to my knowledge, have not been available online before now.  Although it is a graduate thesis, it is highly readable.  Enjoy it.

 This 52-second film, from the time of St. Therese, shows the actual arrival of a train at La Ciotat, near Marseilles.  Therese passed through it on her return from Rome to Lisieux in November 1887.  You can imagine that she was moving among people dressed in this way.  See more details of the pilgrimage to Rome at the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux.

Dr. Thomas Nevin, author of Therese of Lisieux: God's Gentle Warrior, presents on "The Lives of the Carmelites in 19th-Century France," focusing on the community of the Carmelite monastery at Lisieux in the time of St. Therese.  This illustrated lecture is part of "Women's Lives Yesterday and Today," the inaugural lecture series of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at John Carroll University.  Dr. Nevin, who is steeped in archival research about St. Therese and her surroundings, shares many previously unknown facts about the backgrounds and lives of the women who lived with St. Therese.

To purchase, click on the image

 The film "Leonie!," a feature film about the life of Léonie Martin, the sister of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, is now available for purchase as a DVD.  This 90-minute feature film was produced by Holy Trinity Productions in Michigan as a labor of love.  It was filmed in the Midwest, and the scenes at the Visitation were shot in the Visitation Monastery of Toledo.  The energy of the young American actresses and actors may appeal particularly to children and young people.  "Leonie!" is not a documentary; it does not explore in depth Léonie's spirituality or her correspondence with Thérèse.  This film depicts with care the events of Léonie's life: her unhappy childhood, her three unsuccessful attempts at religious life, and her life at the Monastery of the Visitation of Caen, where she entered definitively in 1899 and died in 1941; her testimony at the inquiries for her sister's cause, and her reunion with her three Carmelite sisters when she testified at Lisieux for Therese's canonization. It enacts many amusing incidents from her life in the Visitation community at Caen.

• To purchase the DVD, click on the image above or click here.  It's distributed by Ignatius Press and is presently sold online in the United States and Canada. 
• View a three-minute trailer of "Leonie!"
  
• Learn more about the genesis and production of "Leonie!"
  
• Learn more about the real life of Léonie Martin, who did not fit into her family, was expelled from school, and, at first, could not succeed in religious life. See a photo gallery of Léonie and her milieu and read the illustrated English translation of the "life of Léonie" circulated by her monastery at her death.
  

Léonie was one of the first disciples of Thérèse's way of confidence and love.  A nun of the Visitation at Caen told me in 2008 that Léonie's superior, whom she knew, reported that Léonie was always so happy and at peace that it was almost impossible to believe that her early life had been so hard.  Léonie is very much loved by many people; her monastery receives many letters recounting the graces she obtains from God for those who seek her intercession.  She appeals especially to those who have been deeply wounded, to special children and their parents, and to those who, like her, struggle to find their place in the world.  Many pilgrims visit Caen to pray at her tomb.  I hope that the long-awaited distribution of the film Leonie! will stimulate viewers to learn more about Léonie's life and spirituality and will cause Veritas Press to reprint Léonie Martin, A Difficult Life.  The book is unfortunately out of print, but used copies are now available online. 

The habit of St. Therese.  Photo by Juan Marrero. All rights reserved.

See photographs of the various pieces of the Carmelite habit worn in the time of St. Therese, "a complex assemblage of various pieces under the robe and the scapular."  Therese had to put on at least twelve garments before she was fully dressed for choir, and the whole outfit was held together with pins, not with buttons.  Thanks to the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux for giving us this glimpse into a dimension of Therese's everyday life.