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Every month the Mission Office will feature a Saint whose life and sacrifice for the missions can be an example for us to grow in our own commitment and desire to be of service to our sisters and brothers throughout the world. For our first feature, we remember St. Therese of Lisieux, the Patroness of Foreign Missions, who shows us "The Little Way" to grow closer to God and how to discern our role in His wonderful plan for the Salvation of the World.  The Little FlowerSt. Therese of Lisieux is also known as Therese of the Child Jesus, the Little Flower, the Little Flower of Jesus. Her Memorial is October 1, and she is the patroness of Foreign Missions. Therese was born January 2, 1873 in Alcon, Normandy, France to a middle-class French family. Her father, Louis, was a watchmaker, her mother, who died of cancer when Teresa was 4, was a lace maker. The Church has declared both of Therese's parents Venerable. Therese was cured from an illness at age 8 when a statue of the Blessed Virgin smiled at her. Theresa sought and received permission to enter the Carmelite Convent when she was only 15. Therese defined her path to God and holiness as "The Little Way," which consists of love and trust in God. At the direction of her spiritual director, and against her wishes, she dictated her famed autobiography Story of a Soul. Therese died 7pm Thursday 30 September 1897 at Lisieux, France; of tuberculosis. She was canonized on May 17, 1925 by Pope Pius XI. Many miracles are attributed to St. Therese, and she has been declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997 by Pope John Paul II.  "For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." - Saint Therese of Lisieux St. Therese wrote of her longing to offer her life to God. Recognizing the roll all members of the Church have in proclaiming the Gospel, some to go to foreign lands to do so, others to stay here and offer prayers for the success of this work of love. "Since my longing for martyrdom was powerful and unsettling, I turned to the epistles of Saint Paul in the hope of finally finding an answer. By chance the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of the first epistle to the Corinthians caught my attention, and in the first section I read that not everyone can be an apostle, prophet or teacher, that the Church is composed of a variety of members, and that the eye cannot be the hand. Even with such an answer revealed before me, I was not satisfied and did not find peace. I persevered in the reading and did not let my mind wander until I found this encouraging theme: 'Set your desires on the greater gifts. And I will not show you the way which surpasses all others.' For the Apostle insists that the greater gifts are nothing at all without love and that this same love is surely the best path leading directly to God. At length I had found peace of mind. Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my vocation. Indeed, I knew that the Church had a body composed of various members, but in this body the necessary and more noble member was not lacking; I knew that the Church had a heart and that such a heart appeared to be aflame with love. I knew that one love drove the members of the Church to action, that if this love were extinguished, the apostles would have proclaimed the Gospel no longer, the martyrs would have shed their blood no more. I saw and realized that love sets off the bounds of all vocations, that love is everything, that this same love embraces every time and every place. In one word, that love is everlasting."  – from the autobiography of Saint Theresa of the Child JesusLesson Plans Available For Elementary School Religious Education Teachers click here for a lesson plan on the Life of St. Therese of Lisieux. Prayer to Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus Dear Little Flower of Lisieux, how wonderful was the short life you led. Though cloistered, you went far and wide through fervent prayers and great sufferings. You obtained from God untold helps and graces for his evangelists. Help all missionaries in their work and teach all of us to spread Christianity in our own neighborhoods and family circles. Amen. |
| Previous Saints of the Month Saint Francis of Assisi St. Anthony Mary Claret St. Katharine Drexel Blessed Damien of Molokai Uganda Martyrs Saint Martin De Porres Saint Mother Cabrini Saint Francis Xavier Saint Therese of Lisieux |
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