As a special gift for the feast of St. Therese, I have created this photo album of those who knew her at Lisieux.  These photos of the Guerin family and their relatives; priests who knew Therese; her tutor, Mme. Papinau; and others who knew Therese at Lisieux were displayed at an exposition at St. Jacques Church (now a municipal exhibit hall) in Lisieux in 2009.  I am most grateful to the photographers, Peter and Liane Klostermann, for the gift of these photos, and to the Pilgrimage Office at Lisieux for permitting me to display them here. 

On the anniversary of St. Therese's death, see documents about St. Therese's death and funeral:

• a photograph of the autograph letter her sister Pauline, Mother Agnes of Jesus, wrote to their sister Leonie and their aunt and uncle, Celine and Isidore Guerin, to tell them of Therese's death
• the obituary announcing the death of Sister Therese that appeared in "Le Normand," a local newspaper to which her uncle contributed
• the invitation sent by the Carmelite nuns to Sister Therese's funeral
• the invitation to Sister Therese's funeral sent by the members of her family

I thank photographer Susan Ehlert for permitting me to display her photos.

Resources to celebrate the feast of St.  Therese, for children and adults, including catechesis and reflections, prayers, and liturgy resources, are tonight's gift to prepare for the feast.  May they help us come to know and love St. Therese and her Beloved more and more.

On June 19, 2005, Guy Gaucher, O.C.D., auxiliary bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux and consummate scholar of St. Therese, preached at a service of thanksgiving for his episcopal ministry in the Basilica of St. Therese at Lisieux.  With thanks to the late Fr. J. Linus Ryan,  O. Carm., who made it available on the Web, I offer Bishop Gaucher's beautiful homily "Why I Love You, O Therese" on the seventh day of this novena of gifts.

See a photo show of the chapel of the Lisieux Carmel, including the tomb of St. Therese, and of the "parcours Theresien," a small museum at Carmel where one can see such souvenirs as Therese's habit, her work apron, her sewing basket, and her painting tools.  I thank producer Susan Ehlert for permission to display this photo show, created in 2008.