Statue of St. Therese of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face, Doctor of the Church, in the Philadelphia Carmel. In her right hand St. Therese holds the biretta, the symbol of a Doctor.
On October 19, 1997, twenty-nine years ago today, Pope St. John Paul II proclaimed St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face a Doctor of the Universal Church. “Everyone thus realizes that today something surprising is happening,” he said in his homily: the Church was recognizing “a woman, a young person, a contemplative” as a teacher for the whole Church.[1]
Today’s anniversary invites us not only to celebrate that recognition but also to return to the teaching it recognized. Why was Thérèse named a doctor? How did the proclamation come about? What does her contribution ask of us today?
Here are several resources for exploring those questions.
Why did the Church recognize Thérèse as a doctor?
The essential starting point is Divini amoris scientia—“The Science of Divine Love,” St. John Paul IIʼs apostolic letter of October 19, 1997. It explains the significance of Thérèseʼs teaching, its grounding in Scripture, and its reception throughout the Church.[2]
Sections 7–9 are especially rewarding. “Her doctrine,” John Paul II writes, “is at once a confession of the Churchʼs faith, an experience of the Christian mystery and a way to holiness.” Readers interested in the history of the proclamation will also find a concise account of the final stages of the process in section 12.[3]
John Paul II’s homily at the Mass on October 19, 1997 offers a shorter introduction. It conveys the surprise and joy of the occasion and explains why Thérèseʼs teaching belongs to the whole Church.[4]
Return to the day of the proclamation
The proclamation took place on World Mission Sunday. In his homily, John Paul II connected the choice of that date Thérèseʼs missionary vocation: her hidden life in Carmel was not a withdrawal from the Churchʼs mission but a profound participation in it.[5]
What does her doctorate mean for us today?
Pope Francis returned to this question in Cʼest la confiance, his apostolic exhortation on Thérèse, published on October 15, 2023. Its concluding section, “At the heart of the Gospel,” paragraphs 46–52, is a particularly illuminating companion to the documents of 1997.[6]
Calling Thérèse a “Doctor of synthesis,” Francis emphasizes her ability to lead us to what is central and indispensable. In paragraph 50, he asks theologians, moralists, spiritual writers, pastors, and believers to draw out both the theoretical and the practical consequences of her teaching. In the following paragraph, he cautions against quoting her on matters that are secondary while overlooking what is distinctive about her message.[7]
That is a searching invitation for this anniversary: not simply to repeat familiar sayings, but to listen for the heart of what Thérèse has to teach.
How did the doctorate come about?
For a more extended historical study, see my introduction to Mary-Ellen Malolepszy’s Thérèse of Lisieux: Doctor of the Church. A Study of the Cause, Process, and Proclamation of October 19, 1997. This 2002 master’s thesis examines the history of the cause and the process leading to the proclamation, including the role of the Carmelite Order. My introductory post provides further details and a link to the thesis.[8]
How might Thérèse’s teaching speak to our own times?
In her lecture St Thérèse of Lisieux: A Doctor of the Church for Our Times, Dr. Rebekah Lamb offers a contemporary reflection on Thérèse’s teaching and its reception, drawing on Dorothy Day, Ida Görres, and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Prepared in the year after the visit of Thérèse’s relics to Scotland, the lecture considers her significance for readers today.[9]
An invitation to read further
You will find these and more materials on Thérèse, Doctor of the Universal Church, the resource page on this Web site.
As we look toward the thirtieth anniversary in October 2027, may todayʼs commemoration become an invitation to renewed study: to return to Thérèseʼs writings, to consider the Churchʼs recognition of her teaching, and to discover what we have yet to learn from her.
[1] https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19101997_divini-amoris.html - accessed 10/19/2026.
[2] https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19101997_divini-amoris.html - accessed 10/19/2026.
[3] https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19101997_divini-amoris.html - accessed 10/19/2026.
[4] https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19101997.html - accessed 10/19/2026
[5] https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19101997.html - accessed 10/19/2026.
[6] https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231015-santateresa-delbambinogesu.html - accessed 10/19/2026
[7] https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231015-santateresa-delbambinogesu.html - accessed 10/19/2026
[8] http://www.thereseoflisieux.org/my-blog-about-st-therese/2013/4/7/therese-of-lisieux-doctor-of-the-church-a-study-of-the-cause.html - accessed 10/19/2026
[9] https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/publications/st-th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se-of-lisieux-a-doctor-of-the-church-for-our-times/ - accessed 10/19/2026