To honor the anniversary of the canonization of St. Therese on May 17, 1925, I am happy to present the link to an online exhibit of 116 photos of Lisieux "au temps de Therese."  The photographer, Francois Bidet, operated a pharmacy near that of Isidore Guerin, Therese's uncle. The exhibit is presented by La Bibliotheque Electronique de Lisieux; the photos are the property of the Musee d'art et de histoire de Lisieux, and the accompanying text was written by Jean Bergeret.  You can see the Cathedral Saint-Pierre on the Place Thiers during the bitterly cold winter of 1895; a man begging who could be one of the people helped by the Martin family; a Eucharistic procession in the town square; market day, and many other photos.

"Louis and Zelie Martin of Alencon" shows scenes familiar to the Martin family in Alencon, interviews in French, and the first film footage of the Pavilion, Blessed Louis Martin's watchtower and walled garden on the outskirts of Alencon.  Until the beatification of Zelie and Louis in October 2008, this property had been closed to pilgrims for decades. 

"The Inauguration of the Martin Family Home in Alencon" films the event in late April 2009 at which Louis and Zelie Martin's house on Rue Saint-Blaise, where St. Therese was born, was reopened to the press after having been closed for restoration.  Most of the film is interviews in French with Mgr. Jean-Claude Boulanger, bishop of Seez, and artists who worked on the restoration.  I thank the diocese of Seez WebTV for permission to post the films. To see them, please visit this page.

"The Basilica of St. Therese at Lisieux" features an exhaustive tour and history of the basilica of St. Therese, background about the saint's life, and interviews in English with Mme. Laurence Panontin, a long-time and knowledgeable member of the staff of the Pilgrimage Office at Lisieux.  I thank "Catholic Destinations," a TV show produced by Catholic TV in Massachusetts, for allowing me to post their film. 

    The archives of the Carmel of Lisieux conserved a document signed by Therese Martin at the age of 12, showing that on October 15, 1885 she enrolled in the Apostleship of Prayer, an association born of the missionary desires of Jesuits at a French seminary in 1844.  St. Therese of Lisieux is now co-patron of the Apostleship of Prayer.  Learn more about the Apostleship of Prayer and Therese's relationship with it.

February 25, 2009 marks fifty years since Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face and Saint Therese, the last surviving sister of St. Therese of Lisieux, died in the Carmel of Lisieux on February 25, 1959.  Born Marie Celine Martin, she lived at home with St. Therese until Therese entered Lisieux Carmel on April 9, 1888.  For more than six years, while Celine lived as a laywoman and looked after their father, who was ill, the sisters were separated.  After the death of Blessed Louis Martin, Celine entered the Carmel on September 14, 1894.  As a novice she learned her sister's "way of confidence and love," of which she was a tireless apostle all her life.  She made the offering of herself to Merciful Love with St. Therese on June 11, 1895, and she was the first person to read the childhood memories Therese wrote in 1895 (later the first part of "Story of a Soul").  She looked after St. Therese during her illness.  She painted a famous image of the Holy Face of Jesus and many other portraits, especially of her sister.  She testified at the processes for Therese's beatification and canonization and at the diocesan processes for the cause of her mother and her father, Blessed Zelie and Louis Martin.

For significant dates in Sister Genevieve's life, please see the Web site of the Shrine of Lisieux.

For the powerful correspondence between Therese and Celine, please see  The Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux (Volume I, 1877-1890; Volume II, 1890-1897) on this page.

For Celine's memoir of her sister, please see "My Sister Saint Therese" at the bottom of this page.

For "Celine: Sister and Witness of St. Therese of the Child Jesus," a biography by Franciscan Father Stephane-Joseph Piat, please see the bottom of this page.