FAQ about Therese's writing-desks > FAQ about Therese's writing-desk and writing > At what time of day did Therese write her poems, prayers, and other works?
The nuns’ chief free time in which to write, except Sundays, was the “silence” (an hour of free time) from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Celine recounts the challenge this was to Therese:
“During the day, as she went about her duties, Saint Therese used to compose her poems, but she did not put them on paper until evening. She might have obtained permission to jot down these verses as they came to her, but she felt that this would be failing in poverty as she did not consider her time her own.
“I had to wait, therefore,” she said, “until our free hour between Compline and Matins, and sometimes it was extremely difficult to recall at eight in the evening the lines which had come to me that morning.”
“These trifles are a species of martyrdom which we should welcome,” Therese added. "It would be easy to avoid that pain if we permitted ourselves, or sought permission for, things that would make the religious life easier and more comfortable.”
[A Memoir of My Sister Saint Therese, p. 157].
Last updated on September 28, 2013 by Maureen O'Riordan