Statue of Saint Therese, Doctor of the Church.

Thérèse of Lisieux, "Doctor of the Science of Love”

John Paul II named Thérèse of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church on 19 October 1997 and dubbed her "Doctor of the Science of Love." The question of a "Doctorate" had been raised as early as 1932! Thérèse of Lisieux is today the only French woman to be a Doctor of the Church among the 36 Doctors recognised in the world. This means that her doctrine, teaching, and the path she traced is addressed to all humanity. This Love is universal. It transcends all times and all places and can be found in every culture. This "science of love" unites all the men and women of this world because it corresponds to the quest for meaning in our world, to the search for man's deepest self, which is to love. This "science of love" is revealed to be at the service of a world of solidarity.

She entered religion at the age of 15 and was novice mistress at the age of 22. A teacher and educator at heart, she maintained a relationship of trust, self-esteem. and respect for the personal development with those entrusted to her, which allowed her novices, sometimes older than herself, to grow in inner freedom, to assert themselves, to find their way, and thus to emancipate themselves. By her attitude, her words, her silence, her example, St. Therese reveals herself as a teacher of life.

Many schools in France and around the world bear her name which, beyond the name, represents a certain way of educating children and young people.

Even today, the spiritual closeness of Thérèse allows so many people on the five continents to benefit from this same invitation to follow this path of inner freedom, which is quite simply the path of spiritual childhood that Saint Thérèse discovered and whose experience she shares with those of our contemporaries who receive her message and let themselves be touched.

The way of Thérèse of Lisieux contributes to inner and personal peace of mind. It builds up the human person and develops a spirit of peace.

Since the year of her doctorate, religious and cultural initiatives around Thérèse of Lisieux have grown exponentially, with over 120 initiatives in more than 60 countries to date, from the northern to the southern hemisphere. Her message was spread more and more widely.

This article is excerpted from a press release published on the Web site of the Shrine at Lisieux (https://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr).   I reproduce it here with fervent thanks to the Shrine at Lisieux, the Shrine at Alencon, UNESCO, and all their partners in celebrating this worldwide honor done to Therese].  Look for more information about the universal significance of this award in the days to come.

St. Therese of Lisieux by Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS. Available at Trinity Stores.

The literary works of Thérèse of Lisieux

 Despite her short life, the literary work of Thérèse of Lisieux is considerable. Thérèse of Lisieux entered the teeming cultural movement of the 19th century, which she described as "a century of inventions." It was the time of Zola and Maupassant. In 1989, the publication of the critical edition of her work was honoured by the Académie Française with the Grand Prix du Cardinal Grente.

Her seminal work is Histoire d'une Âme, or Autobiographical Manuscripts, published a year after her death, which has spread in a meteoric fashion, with many editions still in print today. This story has been published in more than 80 languages and dialects worldwide, with millions of copies published, making it the second most popular book after the Bible. Thérèse of Lisieux shares her personal journey with readers and at the same time immerses them in the life of a bourgeois family and a convent in 19th century France. Through her work, Thérèse of Lisieux, in her own way, depicts the societyof her time like other writers.

The General Correspondence contains 266 letters from Thérèse of Lisieux and 199 letters from her correspondents. These letters depict a state of mind, the interplay of relationships between their authors, the search for that deep and lasting peace which reveals the heart of man and allows him to find reasons for existing...

 A collection of 54 poems reveals the soul of Thérèse of Lisieux, poet. Composed to the melodies of her time, they are conceived as odes to life, and to Love. Universal in scope, they are still attempts to respond to the spiritual quest of the persons for whom Therese wrote them, for whom they are primarily intended.

Her work is enriched by eight plays composed to delight and entertain her community. The young nun wrote, directed, and performed them herself, as an actress with other sisters. If these plays are performed during major feasts, Thérèse of Lisieux truly created an author's work, and each time she distils the universal message that lives within her, in favour of Love, Peace, Life, and Reconciliation.

As an artist, she loved to paint and would have liked to know how to do it better. Art is like an extension of her thoughts, allowing her to say and communicate more.

A woman of conviction, she is at the junction of different worlds, at the crossroads of religious, political, economic and social paths, in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. Her thought inspires social doctrine; it is an integral humanism and solidarity in favour of justice and peace between peoples, at the service of this call to universal love.

This article is excerpted from a press release published on the Web site of the Shrine at Lisieux (https://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr).   I reproduce it here with fervent thanks to the Shrine at Lisieux, the Shrine at Alencon, UNESCO, and all their partners in celebrating this worldwide honor done to Therese].  Look for more information about the universal significance of this award in the days to come.

icon of St. Therese of Lisieux by Brother Mickey McGrath. Available at Trinity Stores.

Thérèse of Lisieux at the heart of political developments

The political tradition of Thérèse of Lisieux's "involvement" with the people appeared very soon after her death. Her reputation grew in the trenches on both sides of the war during the First World War. Thérèse of Lisieux becomes a sign of peace, comfort, encouragement and consolation for these men torn from their lives.

 On 3 May 1944, Thérèse of Lisieux became the secondary patron saint of France, while the Allied landings were taking place. On 6 June 1944, the long march to liberate France and Europe in the service of peace began... From 1944 to 1947, the relics of Thérèse of Lisieux, symbols of her presence and radiance, travelled throughout France to restore confidence and courage to a whole people wounded by the war, in the effort to rebuild and reconcile men and people.

In recent years, the universal scope of her message has been widely expressed in the world:

 Philippines: In January 2000, at the request of the prison authorities in Manila, Thérèse of Lisieux and her message were welcomed in the death row. No further executions would take place after this memorable moment. The death penalty would be abolished in 2006.

Lebanon: From September to November 2002, all of Lebanon, regardless of religion, honoured Thérèse of Lisieux. On 17 October, in Beirut, President Jacques Chirac participated in the Francophone summit, supported peace efforts throughout the region and reaffirmed the need for the withdrawal of non-Lebanese military troops, which had been underway for several months, as provided for in the Taif agreements in 1989.

 Iraq: on 16 November 2002, the 8 o'clock news in France simultaneously showed the arrival of the UN Delegation on the tarmac in Baghdad and the tribute paid to Thérèse of Lisieux.

Colombia: In 2004, a Colombian initiative around Thérèse of Lisieux, had as its objective a "Peace Mission for Colombia" under the protection of the Army, in the midst of the conflict with FARC.

Thérèse of Lisieux is also an advisor to political figures, whose testimony remains personal most of the time.

This article is excerpted from a press release published on the Web site of the Shrine at Lisieux (https://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr).   I reproduce it here with fervent thanks to the Shrine at Lisieux, the Shrine at Alencon, UNESCO, and all their partners in celebrating this worldwide honor done to Therese].  Look for more information about the universal significance of this award in the days to come.

 St. Therese of Lisieux - icon by Br. Robert Lentz, OFM. Available at Trinity Stores.

Therese of Lisieux,

universal figure and ambassador of France

Thérèse of Lisieux, known throughout the world, was born Thérèse Martin on 2 January 1873 in Alençon and died on 30 September 1897 in the Carmelite convent in Lisieux, where she was a nun for nine years. In only 24 years of existence, this young woman will understand what is essential to her life and her relationship with the world, a particular itinerary that opens up to the universal.

Thérèse of Lisieux contributes to France’s influence in the world. Through her work, she looks at society and our humanity from a woman's perspective. A French woman of culture, in the audacity of her youth, she carries like a standard the torch of universal love and peace offered to all people.

Her intellectual approach can be seen as a bold spiritual revolution in favour of the primacy of universal love for all people. During her long journey through France, Switzerland and Italy, she broadened her horizons to other cultures. She supports young missionaries and looks towards Africa and Asia. She herself wants to go to Vietnam.

France and communities abroad keep the spirit of Thérèse of Lisieux alive. The bells of the Basilica of Lisieux ring out their melodies in accordance with their mottos, such as the bumblebee with the name "Therese, Protector of Peoples" and the motto "I ring the call of people to unity in Love". The Sanctuary of Lisieux is visited by more than one million people from all over the world every year. The bell tower is like a beacon to the world.

On the 5 continents, many establishments in the field of education and health bear her name, such as in India, the great hospital "Lisie" in Kerala for Lisieux! There are countless religious buildings dedicated to her. Many people around the world are named after her as well. The millions of statues of Thérèse of Lisieux scattered around the world make one look to France.The thought of Thérèse of Lisieux continues to inspire researchers and scholars around the world. It is the subject of colloquia, dissertations, and doctoral theses. Thérèse of Lisieux was made Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Cuenca in Ecuador. She was granted permanent residence in the Galapagos Islands! She has been made an honorary citizen of many cities around the world and has been given the keys to each one.

This article is excerpted from a press release published on the Web site of the Shrine at Lisieux (https://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr).   I reproduce it here with fervent thanks to the Shrine at Lisieux, the Shrine at Alencon, UNESCO, and all their partners in celebrating this worldwide honor done to Therese].  Look for more information about the universal significance of this award in the days to come.

Thérèse of Lisieux honoured by UNESCO in 2022 and 2023

UNESCO has decided to select Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897) as one of the anniversaries commemorated by UNESCO in 2022-2023.

Every two years, UNESCO associates itself with the anniversary of personalities or institutions who, through their figures and shared works, promote the same values of humanity in the service of peace and understanding between peoples that the organisation defends.

 Each Member State of UNESCO may then nominate one man and one woman for inclusion in the list of anniversaries with which UNESCO could be associated for the next two years. This is referred to as a "biennium" or "biennial", which takes into account the time span of two years.

At the suggestion of the Shrine of Lisieux, France has chosen to present the figure of Thérèse of Lisieux, born in 1873, with the support of Belgium and Italy. France also presented Gustave Eiffel, who died in 1923.

After an internal selection process, UNESCO has chosen to include Thérèse of Lisieux in its final list of anniversaries commemorated during its 2022/2023 biennial, motivated by her universal personality:

Extract from the presentation of Thérèse de Lisieux to the Executive Council of 25 March 2021

"Thérèse of Lisieux was a nun who died at the age of 24 and is best known for her posthumous publications, including Histoire d'une âme. This celebration will contribute to bringing greater visibility and justice to women who have promoted the values of peace through their actions. Given the fame of Thérèse of Lisieux in the Catholic community (the city of Lisieux being the second most popular place of pilgrimage in France after Lourdes), the celebration of her birthday can be an opportunity to highlight the role of women within religions in the fight against poverty and the promotion of inclusion, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 161. It can also reinforce UNESCO's message on the importance of culture (poems and written plays) in promoting universal values and as a vehicle for inter-religious dialogue.”

1 MDG 1: Inclusive quality education for all as a key factor in poverty eradication.

MDG 16: Foster peaceful inclusive societies through education, including peace and human rights education and the provision of education in emergencies. Encourage dialogue between cultures, the culture of peace and non-violence... Strengthen governance systems for culture and fundamental freedoms.    

This article is excerpted from a press release published on the Web site of the Shrine at Lisieux (https://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr).   I reproduce it here with fervent thanks to the Shrine at Lisieux, the Shrine at Alencon, UNESCO, and all their partners in celebrating this worldwide honor done to Therese].  Look for more information about the universal significance of this award in the days to come.