Therese, Doctor of Hope

Monseigneur Guy Gaucher, O.C.D. Photo courtesy of the Discalced Carmelite Friars of Paris

In 1996, before the Vatican announced that Therese was to be made a doctor of the Church, Bishop Guy Gaucher, her great scholar and friend, wrote the short article “Therese Today,” highlighting how she speaks to the world today and prophesying that God would one day allow the Church to recognize her vocation as a Doctor:

Therese's word and prayer frees wounded people, unchains drug-addicted or despairing youth, and constantly raises up priestly, religious, and lay vocations. She goes in search of distant people, insinuates herself into the most unlikely situations, plays an ecumenical role, attracts Muslims, and touches even strangers to the faith, sometimes through a simple look at her real face that photography has made available to us.

With thanks to the Internet Archive, please read Therese Today, a short but important element in establishing the context for our anniversary meditation this year on Therese as a Doctor of Hope.