Saint Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower

Saint Therese of Lisieux is one of the most famous, popular and beloved saints in all of Catholic history.  Born in the nineteenth century, St. Therese died in her twenties from tuberculosis.  Although she did not live a long life, her insight into how to make meaning from her life has been so influential (see her Story of a Soul) that she has been proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. She is one of a handful of women to be given that distinction.  A Carmelite, her name in religion was, Sister Therese of the Child Jesus.

She was born on January 2, 1873 and died September 30, 1897.  She was canonized in 1925 and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul ll in 1998. Her Feast Day is October 1.  Although her feast day should have been her death date, as is customary in Catholic tradition, that date was already taken by St. Jerome, another Doctor of the Church who was responsible for translating the Bible into Latin, the Vulgate Bible.
Tradition has it that St. Therese promised a shower of roses after her death and that roses did indeed appear to the sisters in her community. I have always loved the commitment she made to continue doing good after her death by helping those who are still on earth. She is revered as one of the most powerful saints in the Catholic hierarchy.

I have dedicated this rose design to her and will be happy to help you join the cafepress affiliate program if you belong to a parish dedicated to the Little Flower and would like to use my products for a fund-raiser. Send me a comment to that effect in the guest-book below and I will get back to you.

Thank you to everyone who has visited this site and who has purchased this design.

Contents of this lens are copyright 2006-2008 by Marguerite Manor.