Therese Martin, 14, asks Pope Leo XIII for permission to become a Carmelite at age 15. Stained-glass window in the church of St. Eulalie, Bordeaux, where her father, St. Louis Martin, was baptized. The photo is a gift from Lai Ping and Yves Cogoluegnes Kong.
Read St. Therese's description of the memorable day when she requested the Pope's permission to become a Carmelite before the usual age at the Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux.