Pope Benedict XV delivering his speech. Photo credit: Abbaye St. Benoit

 An historic moment in the cause of St. Therese

     August 14, 2021 is the centenary of the first truly decisive moment in St. Therese’s cause for canonization.  On August 14, 1921, in a ceremony at the Vatican, the decree of the Sacred Congregation for Rites (now the Congregation for the Causes of Saints) that Sister Therese of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face had practiced heroic virtue was read in the presence of Pope Benedict XV, who then personally gave a long and eloquent speech on what he called Therese’s “little way of spiritual childhood.”  This extraordinary day was the culmination of a long series of events: her diocesan process, which began in 1910, and her “Apostolic Process” (an inquiry into her possible sanctity made under the authority of the Congregation for Rites), which began in 1915.  In these two “processes”, two different church courts examined her life and writings and heard the testimony of many witnesses.  The testimony of the first process was published as a book, St. Therese of Lisieux by those who knew her, in 1973.*  Both the diocesan process and the Apostolic Process have been published on the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux. 

     The specific intention of both processes was to discover whether Therese had practiced virtue (the theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity; and the cardinal virtues, prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude, with their associated virtues) to an heroic degree, and the witnesses were questioned on these points.

     On August 2, 1921, the Pope met with the Sacred Congregation for Rites, which voted favorably on Therese’s having practiced heroic virtue.  Reserving the final decision to himself, Pope Benedict XV asked the Cardinals to pray for light.  Finding in favor of Therese, he decided to choose the vigil of the Assumption, Sunday, August 14, 1921, to proclaim that she had practiced heroic virtue.  This is a necessary step in any process; the candidate may not be beatified without such a decree.  But few, if any, processes had excited such worldwide interest as Therese’s.  The overwhelming popularity of her memoir, Story of a Soul, combined with the countless miracles worked at her intercession to produce a veritable demand that the Church recognize her sanctity.  On October 21, 1919, Cardinal Vico, the Ponent of her cause, had said, during a visit to the Lisieux Carmel: “We must hurry to glorify the little saint, unless we want to be anticipated by the voice of the people.”¹  The whole Catholic world was holding its breath.

     Once the decree on heroic virtue was issued, no further examination of the candidate’s life or virtues was necessary.  After that, the Church waited for God to send miracles at the candidate’s intercession to confirm the divine wish for this person’s holiness to be recognized by the Church.

     For a description of the events of August 14, 1921, a word picture written in those days before television, I’m indebted to the W.A. Record, a newspaper published in Perth in Western Australia.  See “Promulgation of the Decree on the Heroic Virtues of the Venerable Sister Teresa of the Child Jesus (1922, January 21).” The W.A. Record (Perth, WA : 1888 - 1922), p. 1. Retrieved August 13, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article212397672.  I reproduce most of this article, which was the first of two articles, below.

Promulgation of the Decree on the Heroic Virtues
of the Venerable Sister Teresa of the Child Jesus

     It is our unique privilege and great pleasure to reproduce herewith the authentic document relative to the Beatification and Canonisation of the Servant of God, Sister Teresa of the Child Jesus.  The original booklet containing the report of the ceremony at the Vatican on August 14 of last year, together with the Decrees, has reached us from the Carmelite Monastery of Lisieux, France, through Most Rev. Dr. Gibney, “Lourdes,” Vincent-street, Highgate, who received it by the last mail from Europe.  Owing to its length and the pressure on our space we regret not being able to publish it whole.  We must needs hold over the speech of His Holiness the Pope concerning the Decree until next week.  It is interesting to relate — and it speaks for the authenticity of the subject matter— that the Bishop received the brochure actually from Sister Teresa's elder Sisters, not only so by blood relationship, but Sisters in religion in the same convent as The Little Flower lived and died.  These Sisters were professed before Sister Teresa, and are both personally known to Dr. Gibney.  This full account should prove immensely interesting to Catholics.  "The Little Flower" is surely a perfect model for all children to look up to and imitate.  There are many ways of assisting in the great work of furthering the Cause for the Sister Teresa's canonisation, principal of which is prayer, and by it, recommendation to her care and intercession.— Ed., “R.”

     THE CEREMONY AT THE VATICAN.  It was on 14th August, 1921, the vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin that, in the Consistory Hall of the Vatican, there was read in the presence of His Holiness Pope Benedict XV, the Decree on the Heroic degree of the Virtues of Sister Therese of the Child Jesus.  The promulgation of this Decree confers upon the Servant of God the title of "Venerable.”  

     The event was characterised not only by the magnificent pomp which is a distinguishing feature of such ceremonies in Rome, but also by the extraordinary interest displayed by the immense audience which was composed of French people, priests, and religious of both sexes, and of pilgrims from all parts.  Long before the appointed hour the crowd forced its way into the entrances to the Clementine Hall, which gives access to the Consistorial Hall, a vast Hall with a striking ceiling, walls covered with precious tapestries and having at its further end a throne surmounted by a canopy of red damask. 

     Occupying the foremost place among the spectators was the official delegation of the French Embassy at the Vatican.  The Ambassador being at the time in France, three of his attaches, including Monsieur Cambon, Councillor of the Embassy, hastened to respond to the invitation received. 

     In addition to the Prelates composing the immediate suite of the Pope, could be seen several Archbishops, Bishops, and Prelates. 

     His Eminence Cardinal Vico, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and Ponent of the Cause, was seated at the right of the Pontifical Throne.  Directly facing the Holy Father was his Lordship Monseigneur Lemonnier, Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux, clad in his violet mantle, and on either side of him were the General of the Discalced Carmelites, and Father Rodrigue of St.  Francis de Paule, the Postulator of the Cause.  The group connected with the promotion of the Cause was further honoured by the presence of Mgr. de Teil, the highly devoted Vice-Postulator.

     Among the members of the Sacred Congregation of Rites may be mentioned Mgr. Verde, the secretary, Mgr. Mariani, Promoter General of the Faith, Mgr. Salotti, Assistant Promoter General of the Faith and Assessor, Mgr. di Fava, Deputy, and several Very Reverend Consultors.

     There were also present a large number of Discalced Carmelite Fathers from the Mother House, including the Procurator, and the Definitors general. 

     At 11 o'clock His Holiness Pope Benedict XV, clad in His white soutane,  and wearing a surplice of rich lace and a mozetta of red silk, made His entrance, accompanied, by the most Illustrious and most Reverend Mgr. Camille Caccia Dominioni, the Pope's Chamberlain; Mgr. Auguste Zampini, Bishop of Porphyre, the Sacristan of the Vatican; Mgr. Charles Respighi, Master of Ceremonies, some honorary Camerieri Secreti, the Marquis Jean Sacchetti, Equerry of the Sacred Palace, the Commander of the Swiss Guards and the Palatine Guard, and the Familiari Secreti. 

     After having imparted his blessing to the kneeling crowd, the Pope ascended his throne, and at his invitation, Mgr.  Verde after having made the customary genuflections and kissed the ring and foot of the Pope, standing at a corner of the platform, read the Decree in Latin in a voice both clear and sonorous, and amid an impressive silence. 

     Decree of Heroic Virtue Read by Mgr Verde, Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Rites

DECREE

Concerning the Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux

For the Beatification and Canonization

Of the Venerable Servant of God

Sister Therese of the Child Jesus,

A Professed Nun

Of the Order of Discalced Carmelites

of the Monastery of Lisieux.

     As regards the question:

     Whether there is certainty as to the practice in an heroic degree of the theological virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity, towards God and her neighbour, as also of the cardinal virtues, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance, and their associate virtues, in the case in point and the object in view?  

     Among the Causes of Beatification and Canonization recently submitted to the Sacred Congregation of Rites which attained, or will shortly attain, the desired issue, it is not easy to find one that has so completely gained the favour of wellnigh the whole Christian world, as the cherished Cause of the Venerable Servant of God, SISTER TERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS.  From far and wide comes evidence of the good graces it has won, and continues daily to win.  Indeed the interest evoked is quite out of proportion both to the humble nature of the Cause itself, and to the personality of the Servant of God.  For she was but a girl who, known to few, spent her brief life in the solitude of the cloister.  Nor can her triumph be attributed to the story of her own life, written by Sister Therese at the bidding of her Superioress, since the rich spiritual fruits that daily result from an attentive perusal of its delightful pages are too wonderful, too worldwide, to be ascribed to an instrument so slender.  To touch the hearts of men, to bend their wills, to change their morals, to kindle the flame of Divine Love, these things are beyond human power, and find an adequate explanation only in the grace of God.  Anyone considering the case calmly and without bias is compelled to seek a higher solution and to adore the counsels of Providence.  He must realise that our most merciful Father has, in the person of His faithful handmaid, furnished with a new model this proud generation, so boastful of the superiority of reason over faith.  Thus too has God once more confirmed the precept of His uncreated Wisdom: "Unless ye be converted, and become .as little children, ye shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven."  

     By copious and valid arguments, the Defence has endeavoured to prove--whether in the Diocesan .or the Roman courts of enquiry--firstly, that the observance of the above precept was the particular way of perfection to which God had called Sister Therese; secondly, that she obeyed this call with all the energy of her soul; and thirdly, that in her mode of life and action she fulfilled with  alacrity, generosity and perseverance, her special vocation.  Now this it is that constitutes precisely heroic virtue, and is the sure evidence of its existence.  When therefore, the thesis had been solidly established by proofs drawn from practice of the heroic virtues, it  was easy for the Defence to answer all objections. 

     One of these last seems worthy of mention since, had it been sustained, it would have substantially affected the entire Cause.  It concerns the illness of Sister Therese, which exercised so malignant a power upon herself and her actions as to cast suspicion on her sanctity, and seriously to disturb that which is the natural foundation of all heroic virtue.  Now if we must admit that at the age of ten Sister Therese fell ill of a disease, the real nature of which baffled her medical attendants, we must admit, for precisely the same reason, that she was suddenly, perfectly, and miraculously restored to her former health by Our Blessed Lady.  For, the same sworn eye-witnesses who tell of her illness are those who testify to its being followed by an immediate and complete recovery.  If we accept their testimony in the first instance, we must admit it in the second, as an axiom at law demands. 

     Should anyone, however, insist that her trouble in childhood left traces behind, he cannot get beyond the fact, abundantly witnessed to in the course of the case, that Sister Therese, especially after her entry into the convent, never behaved so as in the slightest degree to recall her former illness, or anything approaching thereto.  Her companions describe her as meek and humble, patient and amiable, even-tempered, and full of gaiety.  Now, if Sister Therese comported herself in this fashion to the admiration of everyone, remaining all the while subject to her old malady, this is merely the same as saying that the keener the struggle and the greater the self-control, the more illustrious would be the virtue of the.  Servant of God, coming forth, as she certainly did, triumphant in the fight with a disease that had not yet completely disappeared. 

     So it was that in this Cause, source of such great joy, arid closely linked with the common good, it was possible to answer the question as to the practice of heroic virtue by Sister Therese.

     The ante-preparatory and preparatory Congregations were followed by a general Congregation held upon August 2, in the presence of Our Holy Father, Benedict XV.  At this Congregation the Ponent of the Cause, Cardinal Antonio Vico, submitted the following question for solution: "Is it certain that the Venerable Servant of God, Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, practised in an heroic degree the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity towards God and her neighbour, the cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance and their associate virtues, in the case in point and the object in view!"

     All present gave their votes, and these were joyfully accepted by His Holiness, who — reserving to Himself the final decision—asked the Cardinals and Consultors to pray earnestly that God’s will might be realised.  When he had decided to make known his judgment on the matter, he chose this most auspicious day, the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, eve of Our Lady's Assumption.  After Holy Mass, he summoned to the Vatican the Most Reverend Cardinal Vico, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and Ponent of the Cause, as also Rev. Father Angelus Mariani, Promotor of the Faith, and the undersigned Secretary.  There, in our presence, he solemnly declared:

     It is indeed certain that the Venerable Servant of God, Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, did practise in an heroic degree the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity towards God and her neighbour, as also the cardinal virtues Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance, and their associate virtues, in the case in point and the object in view. 

     He also gave command that this decree should be published and preserved in the archives of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, the 19th day before the calends of September (August 14) MCMXXI. 

     A. Cardinal Vico,
     Bishop of Porto and Saint Rufina.
     Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites

                                    +A.  VERDE
                                    Secretary of the S.C. of R.

___________________

As soon as he had finished, His Lordship, Mgr. Lemonnier thanked the Holy Father in the speech which will be found at the end of this account.  The emotion was general when the Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux, after a discreet allusion to the restrictions still imposed by the Church with regard to public demonstrations of piety in honour of the Servant of God, knelt to implore the blessing of the new Venerable on the Vicar of Jesus Christ. 

THE ADDRESS
Delivered by His Lordship, Monseigneur Lemonnier,
Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux

     Most Holy Father,

     As the infallible guardian of supernatural truth, Your Holiness is pleased from time to time to bring again before our minds the doctrines of salvation.

     Our special gratitude is due to Your Holiness for solemnly declaring to-day the heroic degree of the virtues practised by the Servant of God, Sister Therese.  of the Child Jesus. 

     In this you are following in the footsteps of Our Lord, who, calling a little child, set him in the midst of His disciples and said: "Amen, I say unto you, unless you become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matt.  xviii., 3. 4. 

     The Servant of God, after having found her treasure, had at heart the desire to give "her little way to souls; to teach them to love the good God -as she loved Him."  This is above all what she calls "doing good upon earth."  Such is her mission, and heaven does not deny her the necessary exterior sign in confirmation of it.  She herself foresaw this, when in the evening of her life she wrote with bold confidence: "I feel that all my hopes will be realised, that the Lord will work for me wonders which will far surpass my greatest desires.  I really count on not remaining inactive in Heaven; my wish is to work there still for the Church and for souls.  After my death I will let fall a shower of roses.  I ask this of God, I am sure He will hear me."

     Most Holy Father, we see the constant realisation of this prediction.  The promised shower of roses falls upon the Church militant.  The truth of this fact is made evident by the innumerable petitions coming from all parts of the world to your Holiness, asking for the glorification, of this advocate so compassionate towards all forms of human suffering. 

     I have to-day the honour of being the mouth-piece of all the clients of Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, in thanking Your Holiness for this solemn decree which proclaims her "Venerable." 

     Be pleased to accept once again, Most Holy Father, the thanks of the great, and ever-fruitful Order of the Carmelites, and most particularly, those of the Carmel of Lisieux in which this exquisite flower unfolded its petals.  Should I not moreover consider it my right and my paternal duty to add also the heartfelt gratitude both of the three sisters of the Servant of God, who are prevented by their Holy Rule from leaving the sacred precincts of their monastery at Lisieux, and also that of another of her sisters, a Visitation Nun who also belongs to my diocese. 

     Sister Therese of the Child Jesus blossomed upon French soil, like Saint Joan of Arc and Saint Margaret Mary, whom Your Holiness has raised to our altars.  We thank You in the name of France, who will never forget these pledges of Your love for her. 

     Most Holy Father, graciously accept the gratitude of the Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux, which You have caused, to-day,  to be overwhelmed with joy.  I predict an increase of religious faith in my beloved Diocese, on account of the throngs of believers already hastening in pilgrimage to Lisieux. 

     The wise laws of the Sacred Congregation of Rites still seal our lips with regard to prayers addressed publicly to Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, in assemblies of the faithful.  However, in conclusion, may we not be allowed to voice the gratitude of our hearts by asking the new Venerable to bless Your Holiness, to console You in troubles caused by those who are unmindful of Your Paternity and to preserve for many a year to come, Your life so precious to the Church. 

__________________________________________________

     Then, the Sovereign Pontiff, speaking French, congratulated and thanked, in his turn, his Lordship for his presence in Rome, in spite of the overwhelming heat, and the fatigue consequent upon a long journey at such a tropical season. 

[See Part II of "Promulgation of the Decree on the Heroic Virtue of the Venerable Sister Therese of the Child Jesus," August 14, 1921]

Notes

*If you purchase the book through this affiliate link, a small percentage of  the cost supports this Web site.

1.  Les miracles de Soeur Thérèse de l’Enfant  Jésus entre 1898 et 1926: genèse d’une  culte.  Antoinette Guise, Memoire de D.E.A., 2000, p. 97.  https://www.academia.edu/2571593/Les_miracles_de_S%C5%93ur_Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_de_lEnfant_J%C3%A9sus_entre_1898_et_1926, accessed August 13, 2021.

The Image of the Holy Face of Tours displayed in St. Pierre's Cathedral and at the Lisieux Carmel

Context

The Holy Face in the Novitiate of the Lisieux Carmel

During the six years they were separated, Therese had fully shared the Holy Face with her sister Celine, who was passionately devoted to it.  At Celine's entrance, in September 1894, she took the name "Marie of the Holy Face," which was later changed against her will to "Genevieve of St. Therese" after the Carmel's foundress.  (In 1916, she reappropriated the title "of the Holy Face").  The sister now known as Marie of the Trinity, who entered before Celine, had been named "Marie Agnes of the Holy Face," but, as the name "Marie-Agnes" was then pronounced in Normandy, it sounded too much like "Mere Agnes," then prioress, and the young sister found her name, too, changed to "Marie of the Trinity."  On August 12, 1895, Therese wrote the poem "My Heaven on Earth," subtitled "Canticle to the Holy Face" for Marie of the Trinity's 21st birthday (WPDC; ACL). 

In March 1896, when Mother Marie de Gonzague was re-elected prioress, replacing Therese's sister Pauline (Mother Agnes), Therese's position as assistant novice mistress became somewhat more official (though it was still rather shaky; she was known simply as "senior novice").  Now there were three young women in the novitiate who shared this devotion.  Therese had entered into her "trial" in April, and in August the importance of the Holy Face of her Jesus overflowed into a new expression.  For the feast of the Holy Face in 1896, Therese prepared a "Consecration to the Holy Face" for the three of them.  She did not include her cousin, Marie Guerin, now Sister Marie of the Eucharist, because the latter was repelled by the image of the Holy Face of Tours.2

Therese calligraphed the Consecration carefully in black and red ink, and each sister signed it with her baptismal, as well as her religious, names.  You may read the English text of the Consecration to the Holy Face online (WPDC; ACL).  To understand its significance, however, and the importance of the lines from St. John of the Cross that Therese configured on the reverse side, you must consult The Prayers of Saint Therese of Lisieux, ed. Steven Payne, O.C.D., tr. Aletheia Kane, O.C.D.  (Washington, D.C.: Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, 1997), which includes an indispensable introduction and notes. 

The importance of this image, the texts Therese associated with it and those she wrote inspired by it, and of the Holy Face in her life cannot be understood in a moment, but the effort one invests in meditating on it may be richly repaid. Pauline testified that "tender as was her devotion to the Childhood of Jesus, it could not be compared with that which she had for the Holy Face . . .  it would have been more correct to call her Therese of the Holy Face."   

Notes

* The note "WPDC; ACL" acknowledges the text published by the Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites and, with their permission, displayed on the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux.

1.  For a short essay on Therese's devotion to the Holy Face, see "Ta Face est ma seule Patrie," (tr. "Your Face is my only Homeland"), by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt.  Catholic Dossier, March-April 1999.  Special thanks to the Internet Archive.

2.  Prayers of Saint Therese of Lisieux, ed. Steven Payne, O.C.D., tr. Aletheia Kane, O.C.D.  Washington, D.C.: Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, 1997, p. 94.

3.  For an arresting theological examination of the interplay between Therese's devotion to the Child Jesus and hers to the Holy Face, see "Therese of Lisieux: Challenge to Doctrine and Theology," by William M. Thompson, an essay in "Experiencing St. Therese Today, ed. John Sulllivan, O.C.D.  (Washington, D.C.: Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, 1990).

Image: Wikipedia

We might imagine that, in the hallowed Lisieux Carmel, there was no laughter.  This story of how the celebration of a national civic holiday dramatically invaded the Carmel shows us how the nuns, especially Therese, could laugh.  It also allows us to get to know Therese’s novice mistress, Mother Marie of the Angels, who played a brave role in this irresistibly comic episode.

July 14 in France

After Bastille Day (the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution on July 14, 1789) was declared the "national holiday of the Republic" in 1880, it was celebrated all over France every year:

From the outset, the emphasis was on the patriotic and military character of the event, expressing France’s recovery from the defeat of 1870. Every commune or locality in France held its own celebration, starting with a torchlight parade on the evening of the 13th. The next morning, church bells or gun salutes announced the military parade, which is followed by a luncheon, spectacles and games, with dancing and fireworks ending the day.¹

Mother Marie of the Angels

The town of Lisieux, in the province of Calvados, organized its own celebration, centered on the town square before St. Pierre’s Cathedral, where the pharmacy owned by Therese’s uncle, Isidore Guerin, was located.  One year, sometime between 1888 and 1895, while Sister Therese of the Child Jesus was living in the Carmel, the "spectacles and games" there in the afternoon forced their way into the Carmel in a surprising fashion.  The heroine of the episode was Therese's novice mistress, Mother Marie of the Angels (1845-1924).  Born Jeanne de Chaumontel, she was the daughter of a count who was a knight of the Legion of Honor.  Several times, during her religious life, she displayed the courage of the true aristocrat.  Marie of the Angels testified at both processes for Therese; she lived to see her novice beatified, but died in 1924, before the canonization.  Writing her obituary circular, Therese’s sister Pauline, Mother Agnes, recounted some of these incidents.

The Flood

On July 7, 1875, long before Therese entered, a catastrophic flood devastated the lower parts of Lisieux.  (Zelie's letters show that she sent a contribution to the fund for the flood relief²).  After eight hours of torrential rain, the flood violently damaged the Carmel, which was located in the valley of the Orbiquet River.  In less than 15 minutes, the flood filled the monastery with oily sludge.  Several nuns almost died trying to rescue the poultry and the laundry, and the public chapel, where the Blessed Sacrament was reserved, was flooded.  The nuns could reach it only if someone could fit through the “little Communion grille” [see it by clicking and scrolling to the bottom left of the page] which divided the nuns’ choir from the sanctuary of the chapel.  Marie of the Angels, the thinnest of all the nuns, wriggled through the grille and rescued the Sacrament.  Upstairs, the nuns knelt in prayer before the tabernacle all night.³

The Fire

Pauline tells how, after Therese entered, Marie of the Angels intrepidly extinguished a fire which could have destroyed the monastery:

One day Sister Marie of the Angels admired the composure of her holy Novice at the beginning of a fire who was only imitating the intrepid Mistress that nothing frightened. A container of gas had caught fire in the work area of the lamps; our courageous Sister slipped into the little room that was filled with flames. She was soon surrounded by them. Invoking the Blessed Virgin, she soon extinguished the fire but not without burning her hands in such a way that she had to wear bandages very painfully for weeks to heal.⁴

Facing the Demon

In this story of July 14, Sister Marie of the Angels showed courage in facing what she believed was a supernatural enemy.  Her bravery was no less admirable because she was mistaken.  We do not know the year, but the incident took place sometime before Therese’s cousin, Marie Guerin, entered in August 1895.  She heard the story and saved it up to tell her father on July 17, 1896, shortly after her first Bastille Day in Carmel.  Having lived in the apartment above the pharmacy, which directly overlooked the town square, she and her father were familiar with how the holidays were celebrated:

You know and can remember, dear darling Father, that on 14th July and other public holidays, small balloons used to be let loose before the big balloons to amuse the crowd, among others little men, puppets and others of different colours, about the size of a 9 or 10-year-old child. You can remember these little balloon men, can’t you?... It’s absolutely vital for my story… One of these little balloon men came and ran aground one 14th July in the inner courtyard of the Carmel. Mother Sub-Prioress (Sister Marie of the Angels, first launderer, at least during Thérèse’s noviciat) and other Sisters who were working in one of the rooms saw this little man descend into the inner courtyard. Fear seized them, they turned pale and didn’t dare move…

They had never seen the like before… Finally they decided to go outside with a broom wanting to slay the little man.⁵

[Marie tells how, when Mother Marie of the Angels struck down the “little man” with a stick, he repeatedly bobbed up from the ground, face first, and appeared to be bowing to her :]

But the more they hit the latter, the more he tried to fly away and, like a balloon, didn’t stay put and kept bowing to Mother Sub-Prioress who, seized with fear, shouted: “It’s the devil!... It’s the devil!... we must kill it!... we must kill it!...”⁶

Later, in 1924, Pauline wrote that the “little man” looked like a “frightful midget coming down. It was dressed in a flesh-colored suit that was so tight that it appeared to be nude.”  When Marie of the Angels hit it with the stick, it “seemed to mock her and answered with deep bows and a calm smile that she deemed satanic. She cried, “Throw holy water on it!”⁷  Marie Guerin continues:

Well, the more they chased him, the more the little man followed Mother Sub-Prioress, bowing to her. He even mounted to the first floor terrace [above the cloister].  This panicked everyone further, then he came down… and, still convinced it was the devil, another Sister went to fetch the holy water and sprinkler!!!... While Mother Sub-Prioress was chasing the little man, Mother Heart of Jesus (Miss Pichery) sprayed him and made the signs of the cross. All the while this little game was going on, and it went on a long time, the sprinkler produced the desired effect. At last, by dint of chasing the unfortunate balloon, they eventually burst it. Then Mother Sub-Prioress saw that her famous devil was simply a balloon. Everyone laughed hard, apparently, and for a very long time, its carcass was hung in a tree like a trophy and to scare away birds.⁸

 Pauline concludes: “Sister Therese of the Child Jesus laughed until she cried.”  She adds that, soon afterward, the town authorities sent a representative to the Carmel to apologize and to ask whether one of the balloons that had escaped from the square had disturbed the nuns.  The portress answered as best she could without telling the drama of the exorcism.⁹

To picture the peaceful cloister courtyard that was disturbed by this "frightful midget" sailing down from the heavens, with Mother Marie of the Angels chasing the balloon and hitting it with her stick while Mother Heart of Jesus sprinkled it and crossed herself, view this video, courtesy of the Carmel of Lisieux, which shows the courtyard starting at 1:27:

Entrance of the monastery from Carmel de Lisieux on Vimeo.

 We can imagine how the nuns laughingly told the story of this “exorcism” to Marie Guerin and to later postulants. 

______________________________________________________________________________________

I am especially grateful to the Carmel of Lisieux for digitizing its archives, translating them into English, and displaying them on the marvelous Web site of the Carmel of Lisieux.  Without them,  I could never have researched and written this article.

1  From "The 14th of July: Bastille Day," on the Web site "France Diplomacy," accessed July 14, 2021.

² From Zelie to her sister-in-law, Celine Guerin, July 11, 1875.  See A Call to a Deeper Love: The Family Correspondence of the Parents of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, 1863-1885," tr. Ann Connors Hess, edited Dr. Frances Renda.  Staten Island, New York: Society of St. Paul/Alba House, 2011, p. 181.

³  Obituary circular of Sister Marie of the Angels, on the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux, accessed July 14, 2021.

⁴ Ibid., accessed July 14, 2021.

^5.  Letter of Sister Marie of the Eucharist to her father, Isidore Guerin, July 17, 1896, on the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux.  Accessed July 14, 2021.

^6.  Ibid., accessed July 14, 2021.

^7.  Obituary circular of Sister Marie of the Angels^, on the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux, accessed July 14, 2021.

⁸ Letter of Sister Marie of the Eucharist to her father, Isidore Guerin, July 17, 1896, on the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux.  Accessed July 14, 2021.

⁹  Ibid., accessed July 14, 2021.

The Plays of St. Therese of Lisieux

The feast of Mother Marie de Gonzague: June 21, 1896

The prioress's feast was always a day of special celebration at the Lisieux Carmel, but in 1896  the feast day of Mother Marie de Gonzague was celebrated with particularly elaborate festivities.  Marie de Gonzague's patron was St. Aloysius Gonzaga, known in France as "St. Louis de Gonzague," the young Jesuit who died while caring for victims of a plague in Rome.  Because Mother Marie de Gonzague had been elected prioress in March only after seven ballots, and was deeply hurt that the vote had been so divided, the nuns wanted to celebrate the feast as lavishly as possible. Writing to her parents to ask for a long list of treats: trout, green beans, strawberries, cakes, wine, cherries from Jeanne Guerin, sparkling water from Leonie, Marie  Guerin (Sister Marie of the Eucharst) wrote on June 17:  "For this feast, we must shake things up.  You understand, don't you?  We would rather have less on other feast days and more on this one."1  The bountiful celebration at which all the treats would be consumed took place on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. 

After that the novices presented a short comic play they had written themselves.  Marie of the Eucharist played the gardener, Baptiste, the "innocent"; Sister Marie of the Trinity was the schoolmaster, and Sister Genevieve (Celine) "old Father Jerome."  The manuscript of this sketch was sent to the Guerins; it did not survive.

Context for the writing of "The Triumph of Humility"

The next day, Sunday, June 21, the novitiate presented a much more serious effort: Therese's seventh play, The Triumph of Humility.  Current events, both in the Lisieux Carmel and in the wider world, gave birth in Therese's mind to the idea for this play.  The difficult election in March had divided the community, leaving the nuns unsettled.  At the same time, the Catholic world was convulsed with the tale of Diana Vaughan.  Miss Vaughan, daughter of an American father and a French mother, was an adherent of Palladism, a supposed Satanic cult within Freemasonry.  Many Catholics had developed sympathy with Diana and prayed for her conversion.  In June 1895, Joan of Arc freed Diana from the grip of the devil.  Diana then began to publish against Freemasonry, publishing a Eucharistic novena and her Memoires of an Ex-Palladist.  The novices believed that Diana's conversion could furnish the plot for the feast-day play.  We will hear more of Diana Vaughan when we examine the events of 1897.  Meanwhile, Therese grasped the opportunity to create an entertainment that might restore the community's equilibrium.

Resources: to read the text and understand the play's significance

For a full understanding of these circumstances, please consult the foreword to The Triumph of Humility in The Plays of St. Therese of Lisieux, tr. Susan Conroy and David J. Dwyer, ed. Steven Payne, O.C.D. (Washington, D.C.: Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, 2008), pp. 298-305.  If you cannot buy or borrow the book,then, thanks to the generosity of the Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites and the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux, the text of The Triumph of Humility is available online. 

For those without access to the book, further background is available online  The late Fr. John F. Russell, O. Carm., who, with Miss Helen Bailey, was the first to translate this play into English, also furnished an introduction, reflection, and notes which are informative.  Thanks to Carmelnet, they appear online with his  translation of "The Triumph of Humility." 

The performance of "The Triumph of Humility" at recreation

Therese's play is lively but simple and short.  She has not forgotten that in January her sister, Mother Agnes, stopped the performance of The Flight into Egypt, saying that her plays were too long and tired the nuns out.  The play is set in "the heated room" (the actual recreation room in which the nuns sat watching it).   

Sitting room from Carmel de Lisieux on Vimeo.

In this play Therese had intended the novices to play themselves.  The three characters were Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, Sister Marie-Madeleine, and a choir postulant, Sister Marie of the Holy Spirit.  Therese had written in this last role because, when she was writing the play, the community expected to receive a new postulant before the feast.  She decided not to enter, so Sister Martha of Jesus replaced her.2  On a "free day," when they had permission to talk, the three young sisters are seated in the recreation room with their backs to a screen.  I will not attempt to recreate the play here; please read it.   Lucifer and his demons, eager to destroy the Church, struggle with St. Michael, who defends it.  St. Michael makes clear that it is by "the humility of the Virgin Mary" that the demons are vanquished. 

Therese's insight into the temptations faced by the Carmelites

Therese points out a number of ways the Carmelites are distracted from God.  Lucifer says "The virgins are not all our enemies; a number of them serve me without knowing it."  He recommends that the demons "distract them with the noise of the world" and "suggest to them that they absorb themselves in their own affairs."  He tells Michael that "the virgins may obey, all the while keeping their own will in the bottom of their hearts, they may obey and desire to command, what then makes them more than I?"  Therese's plot boldly suggests that the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience are not enough to counterbalance the enemy, but humility defeats him instantly.  In the play Sister Therese rejoices: "now we know how to conquer the demon and, from now on, we'll have but one desire, to practice humility . . . "3 

Footnotes:

1  See the full text of this letter on the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux.

2  Sainte Therese de l'Enfant Jesus et de la Sainte Face, Recreations pieuses - Prieres, Nouvelle edition.  Paris: Editions du Cerf et Desclee de Brouwer, 1992, p. 383.

3  The Plays of St. Therese of Lisieux (Washington, D.C.: Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, 2008), p. 314; pp. 318-320. 

"Anno Domini," painted by Edwin Longsden Long

January 21, 1896 was the third and final feast day of Therese's sister Pauline, Mother Agnes of Jesus, while she was prioress.  For her first two feast days as prioress, Therese had written, produced, and starred in two plays about Joan of Arc.  For this one, she wrote the second longest of her eight plays, "The Flight into Egypt," the text of which is available online  thanks to the Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites and the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux. 

Background

Although it was customary for the novitiate to offer an entertainment on special feast days, "The Flight into Egypt" was a departure for Therese.  Most of her writings depend on Scripture, and this play contains at least 70 quotations from Scripture.  But the actual incident she dramatizes is based on a legend in the apocryphal gospels: that Joseph and Mary, fleeing to Egypt, asked for shelter in a den of thieves.  Susanna, the wife of the chief bandit, was the mother of his baby son, Dismas, who had leprosy.  Mary asked for water to bathe Jesus, and then Joseph, citing the healing of Naaman, urged Susanna to bathe her son in the same water.  He was immediately healed.  Many years later, the child Dismas grew up to be the "good thief" who, according to the gospel, was crucified with Jesus, who promised him "This day you will be with me in Paradise."

The Production

The book "The Plays of St. Therese of Lisieux" features an introduction to this play which is indispensable for a fuller understanding of it.  There we learn that this play was probably performed in the chapter room on the second floor, where the giant creche remained on display from Christmas until February 2.  Therese herself played the Virgin Mary; Celine could have played St. Joseph, and the roles of the chief bandit, Abramin, and his wife, Susanna, might have been taken by Marie of the Eucharist and Marie of the Trinity. 

The events of January 21 show how human both Therese and her sister, the prioress, were.  First, on the vigil of the feast, Therese, arriving in choir, knelt before Mother Agnes and surrendered the "copybook of memories" she had been writing at the prioress's request for a year (now the first manuscript of "Story of a Soul").  Mother Agnes, busy winding up her term as prioress, put it in a drawer and left it there for several months.  She tells us that, when she told Therese that she had had no time to read it yet, Therese displayed no disappointment. 

A Theatrical Fiasco

The next evening, Mother Agnes stopped the performance of "The Flight into Egypt" before it was over.  She told Therese flatly that her plays were too long and that they tired the community out.  Celine found her sister in one of the alcoves, drying a few tears in private.  How deeply she must have been hurt by this rejection of the work into which she had poured her whole soul.  But Therese soon regained her self-control "and remained peaceful and sweet in spite of the humiliation." The saint's literary works, which interest us so profoundly, were not always well received on their first appearance!

Themes of the Play

The Destiny of Jesus

Unlike Therese's later poem "Why I Love You, O Mary," in which she depicts Mary as living in the night of faith, "The Flight into Egypt" shows both Joseph and Mary as fully aware, even in the infancy of their son, of his identity and mission.  They speak to each other of the privilege of caring for "the King of Heaven, the Savior of humanity." 

The Inequality of the Rich and the Poor

Joseph's experience as a working man is harsh, and he is afraid to see his son become "a poor workman like me."  But later, when Susanna suggests that the only way to escape poverty is "to rebel against the rich and to seize from them the wealth that is unjustly divided," both Joseph and Mary tell her gently that wealth is not the source of happiness.  Joseph says that at the end of time "this God of goodness and mercy . . . will reward . . . the simple desires to serve Him and love Him . . . he will judge the poor with justice."  Susanna and all the bandits are deeply moved, and they kneel before the child Jesus. 

The Redeeming Power of Jesus

Susanna tells Mary that she is afraid her husband may return to his crimes and that his son may grow up to follow that path.  Mary answers that "the infinite mercy of the good  God . . . is great enough to wipe away the worst crimes when it finds a mother's heart with complete trust in it . . . Dismas will have to be washed in the blood of the Redeemer . . . . your son will enter into the Celestial kingdom."

The Possibility of Exile

Anticlerical decrees were multiplying, and the possibility of religious communities being forced into exile (as many were just a few years later) was coming closer and closer.  In the ending song (which, it seems, the community did not hear that night!), Therese placed in the mouth of an angel the assurance that "the virgins of the Lord" will "receive in exchange for their love an eternity to love in Heaven."

This play gives insights into Therese's thought that are found nowhere else in her writing.  We are fortunate to have it.