See a short video of the Carmelite nuns of Lisieux today gathering in the choir to make their silent evening prayer in the same place where St. Therese of Lisieux made hers.  The French audio consists of readings from what St. Therese wrote about prayer, but you don't need to understand French to enjoy this rare look at the place where St. Therese spent several hours every day of her Carmelite life.

St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II

As the world looks forward to the canonization tomorrow of Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II, we remember that both Popes held St. Therese as a dear friend.  Many Popes have loved St. Therese and trusted confidently in her intercession for them.

Pope John XXIII (public domain photo, released by the Vatican)

In his lifetime Angelo Roncallli, Pope John XXIII, made five pilgrimages to Lisieux, most while he was Papal Nuncio in Paris, but also as Apostolic Delegate in Bulgaria.  He said:

"I shall never cease blessing and exalting the little and great saint who has always been, and always will be, the lucky star of my mission in France. It was at the altar in the chapel dedicated to her in Ankara, in the heart of Turkey, that I bade farewell to the Orient, where I had spent twenty years of apostolic ministry. Every day, I look at her marble statue in my private chapel in the nunciature; better still, I turn to her in prayer and confide to her all my problems and difficulties in the ministry of reconciliation and peace which is my mission in the service of the Holy Church and of France also."

Pope John Paul II showed his love for St. Therese from the very start of his pontificate.  On June 2, 1980 he made a Papal visit to Lisieux. 

(© Yves Jeanmougin, http://www.yvesjeanmougin.com)

The photographer, M. Yves Jeanmougin, graciously created for this Web site a gallery of his enchanting photographs of Pope John Paul II's visit to Lisieux. 

June 2, 1980:  Pope John Paul II praying in the infirmary where St. Therese died. 

Years later, on March 26, 1994, Pope John Paul II declared Therese's mother and father, Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, "venerable" (an important step on the road to sainthood).  Thet were declared blessed by Pope Benedict XVI on October 19, 2008.

On August 24, 1997, in his Angelus message at the close of World Youth Day in France, Pope John Paul II announced that he would name St. Therese of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church on Mission Sunday, October 19.  Three days later, at his general audience on August 27, 1997, he described Therese as the "authoritative teacher" of the "overwhelming message of God's love."

At the ceremony on October 19, 1997, the Pope's Apostolic Letter proclaiming St. Therese a Doctor of the Church, was proclaimed; it was titled "Divini Amoris Scientia" (the Science of Divine Love).  He said that Therese's teaching

excels for the depth and wise synthesis it achieved. Her doctrine is at once a confession of the Church's faith, an experience of the Christian mystery and a way to holiness. Thérèse offers a mature synthesis of Christian spirituality: she combines theology and the spiritual life; she expresses herself with strength and authority, with a great ability to persuade and communicate, as is shown by the reception and dissemination of her message among the People of God.

In this letter the Pope also stressed the importance of Therese as a woman, a contemplative, and a young person.  In his homily at the Doctoral Mass, Pope John Paul II stated:

Therese of Lisieux did not only grasp and describe the profound truth of Love as the center and heart of the Church, but in her short life she lived it intensely. It is precisely this convergence of doctrine and concrete experience, of truth and life, of teaching and practice, which shines with particular brightness in this saint, and which makes her an attractive model especially for young people and for those who are seeking true meaning for their life. Before the emptiness of so many words, Therese offers another solution, the one Word of salvation which, understood and lived in silence, becomes a source of renewed life. She counters a rational culture, so often overcome by practical materialism, with the disarming simplicity of the "little way" which, by returning to the essentials, leads to the secret of all life: the divine Love that surrounds and penetrates every human venture. In a time like ours, so frequently marked by an ephemeral and hedonistic culture, this new Doctor of the Church proves to be remarkably effective in enlightening the mind and heart of those who hunger and thirst for truth and love. An eminent model and guide for Christians today.

 The next day, in his speech to the pilgrims gathered in Rome for the doctoral Mass, Pope John Paul said:

For our time Thérèse is a powerful and accessible witness of an experience of faith in God, the faithful and merciful God, who is just by his very Love. She lived deeply her membership in the Church, the Body of Christ. I think that young people really find in her an inspiration to guide them in the faith and in ecclesial life, at a time when their way can be crossed by trials and doubts. Thérèse experienced all kinds of trials, but it was granted to her to remain faithful and trusting; she bears witness to that fact. She supports her brothers and sisters on all the paths of the world.

 We rejoice to see the Popes who understood the mission of St. Therese of Lisieux so well join her as canonized saints.

In this short video Father James Martin, S.J. responds to recent critiques of the canonization process.  Father Martin's favorite saint, of course, is Therese of Lisieux!

 Photo credit: Paul Ryan

View this three-minute video of the entrance to the Lisieux Carmel: see the enclosure door in the sacristy through which Therese entered on April 9, 1888, the cloister courtyard, and the statue of the Child Jesus she was in charge of decorating.  Thanks to the Carmel of Lisieux for sharing this video.