"At last I have found my vocation, my vocation is Love!"
Millions of Catholics all over the world know and love St.Thérèse of Lisieux. I am one of the devoted and when we decided to drive to Paris to meet Eric and Ellen, I told Ryan it was my deepest wish to make a pilgrimage to Lisieux to personally thank her for always helping me along my faith journey, most especially since moving abroad and asking for her intercession. This may seem foreign to some to pray to someone who is not God, nor his Son Jesus, who is the one and only mediator between God and Man. However, the Church teaches that just as we would ask a family member or close friend for their prayers, we can also call upon the saints in heaven who lived examplary lives of holiness and devotion while on earth.-St. Therese of Lisieux
I was first introduced to Thérèse many years ago during a very difficult time in my life. Although I was not a Catholic, I was on my way to a deep conversion. I was the same age as Thérèse when she died of tuburculosis in the Carmel convent in Lisieux when I mysteriously contracted a virus that entered my digestive system leaving me weak, nauseous and unable to eat. I had up to that point never really experienced suffering before and did not understand why it was happening nor how to cope with my situation. It was at this dark moment that our good friend Tom placed a copy of Story of a Soul into my hands. After reading her memoir, I was immediately taken in by this young, Carmelite nun whose ordinary life became extraordinary after submitting her will completely over to Jesus and finding her vocation to love and embrace suffering.
I was captivated by her "little way" - which encompasses giving over our own will, and making small sacrifices that only God can see. It is seeking out holiness in the ordinary and everyday life. Through her little way, Thérèse trusted completely in God's providence and came to understand that one must become like a child in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. For me, it puts holiness in reach, even for someone like myself who sometimes feels like a hopeless case!
I took Thérèse as my Confirmation name when I entered the Catholic Church in the Jubilee Year 2000 and her picture has been on my nightstand and on my desk at work ever since. In her I see what is possible - to become a Saint! I am encouraged by Thérèse as I face the joys and sorrows of life and know that holiness cannot be acheived by anything we ourselves accomplish, but only through the graciousness of God's love. I have learned too that suffering may be a gift in disguise - through it we often become more dependant on the One who has written his name on our hearts.
I know I received many graces after making this pilgrimage. After asking for her prayers back in December, I told her I would make my way to the Basilica built in her honour in Lisieux somehow to thank her for her little gifts should she wish to grant them. I am deeply grateful that this dream was fulfilled and will continue to share with others my love and devotion of "The Little Flower."
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| Basilica of St. Thérèse, Lisieux, France. |
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| Dome of the Basilica built for St. Thérèse in Lisieux. |
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| Shrine to St. Thérèse in the Crypt of the Basilica. |
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| Replica of the statue Our Lady of the Smile which healed Thérèse as a child. |
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| Carmel Monastery where St. Thérèse found her vocation and lived as a cloistered nun until her death. |
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| Crucifix and crown given to St. Thérèse on the day of her final Profession. |
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| St. Thérèse's Carmelite habit. |
“When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens, I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth.”
- St. Thérèse, The Little Flower
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