Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway

Studies of St. Therese and her spirituality

 

The Hidden Face by Ida Goerres ignited my lifelong interest in Therese.

 

 

This study of the life and character of Therese of Lisieux is a remarkable, penetrating, and fascinating search for the truth behind one of the most astounding religious figures of modern times. A young nun who entered a convent at fifteen and died at twenty-four, Thérèse roused an incredible storm of spontaneous veneration only a few months after her death, and has been called by one Pope as “the greatest saint of the modern times.” Countless images of the sweetly smiling saint flooded the world. But who was she, really? The Hidden Face has sprung from this question. It presents the true Therese, as objectively as possible, and gives a convincing interpretation of her sainthood. It is a book not for Catholics alone, but for anyone fascinated by the force of spirituality, by the incalculable effects of what Pascal called the “greatness of the human soul.” It opens the cloistered world of the Carmel, takes off the sugar coating, and reveals the stark drama behind convent walls, the tension between personalities, the daily details of conventual life. And it throws light on the tremendous purifying process that turned the pampered darling into a saint of heroic virtue.

The work of a mind of rare intelligence and integrity, this book is unique among the lives of saints. First published in Germany in 1944, the original is now in its eighth edition. This first English translation is based on a new, revised version using the latest edition of the saint's writings.

Ida Friederike Goerres is the author of several outstanding works on sanctity including The Nature of Sanctity and The Cloister and the World. The Hidden Face is considered her most important work.

$19.95. 

or order by phone at (610) 917-9470

 

 

 

 

 

 

or order by phone at (610) 917-9470

 

 

 

 

 

Read  Fr. John Russell's review of "The Power of Confidence: Genesis and Structure of the Way of Spiritual Childhood of St. Therese of Lisieux," Spiritual Life, Winter 2000.  To purchase the book, click on the image.

 

 

 

 After Thérèse of Lisieux died on September 30, 1897, her popularity rapidly extended well beyond her homeland of France. Thérèse has been an inspiration to untold numbers of ordinary people to whom her life proclaimed in a compelling way this gospel truth: absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God. Thérèse knew that God led her, with all her inadequacies, to holiness. She assures us that God can do the same for us. Selections from Thérèse's writings, with commentaries that root her wisdom in Scripture.  A suggested p rayer exercise in each chapter.  Suitable for everyday prayer or retreat use.

Paperback, 160 pages, $12.95. 

 

 

 

 

(with an introduction by Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR) God wants us to share our lives and our hearts with God. In this updated and expanded edition of a spiritual classic, Christian Brother Joseph Schmidt gently leads us to recognize that honest reflection before God on the ordinary experiences of our lives is the very means of our spiritual growth. As we speak to God about our personal story, we can explore the significance of our unrest, our joys, our fears, and our hopes. Then the Holy Spirit will lead us to self-knowledge and the freedom to accept and appreciate ourselves and our lives as they are. This book goes beyond any particular way of praying to the very heart of prayer: intimacy with God.  Paperback, 128 pages, $10.95.

 See the table of contents and a few pages.

 

or order by phone at (610) 917-9470.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 To purchase this book, click on the image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To purchase this book, click on the image.

To purchase this book, click on the image.  

Prayer: Insights from St. Therese of Lisieux Insights from St. Therese of Lisieux Christopher O'Donnell, O.Carm. Though all who write or speak about St. Therese are conscious of her prayer, there is as yet no full-length study of the topic. Prayer: Insights from St. Therese of Lisieux seeks to present the thought of St. Therese on prayer against the double background of Carmelite spirituality and her life as a nun in the Lisieux Carmel. Christopher O'Donnell, an Irish Carmelite theologian and author of the well-received Love in the Heart of the Church: The Mission of St. Therese (Veritas, 1997), deals first with the Carmelite background of her prayer and the prayer-life of her convent, and then addresses her thoughts on the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours, mental and vocal prayer, and the prayers that she composed. The book concludes with a consideration of St. Therese's role as a guide of prayer for today's Church. Christopher O'Donnell (O.Carm) was ordained in 1963 and is a senior lecturer in systematic theology at the Milltown Institute in Dublin. He has lectured extensively in Britain, Italy, USA, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. He is the author of several books including Love in the Heart of the Church: The Mission of St. Therese. Softcover

Read Christopher O'Donnell's article "Therese: A Saint for Today"

 

 

 

 "The Passion of Therese of Lisieux" by Guy Gaucher, OCD. with a new introduction by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR. 

Read a review of The Passion of Therese of Lisieux published in Spiritual Life, click here. 

To purchase The Passion of Therese of Lisieux, click on the image. 

 

 

 

John and Therese: Flames of Love: The Influence of St. John of the Cross in the Life and Writings of St. Therese of Lisieux by Guy Gaucher, OCD, the foremost expert on Therese in France.  192 pages, paperback, $12.95.

 

or order by phone at (610) 917-9470.

 

 

  To purchase Light in the Night: The Last Eighteen Months of Therese of Lisieux, click on the image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read a review of The Way to Love: Therese of Lisieux published in Spiritual Life (Winter 2001).  To purchase the book, click on the image.