Thérèse of Lisieux

Thérèse's influence rests almost entirely on her writings, composed in obedience to her superiors and published after her death. The autobiographical manuscripts (designated A, B, and C), collected and published in 1898 under the title Story of a Soul, achieved extraordinary worldwide distribution. In them, Thérèse formulates her "little way," also called the way of spiritual childhood: conscious of her smallness and her inability to climb "the steep staircase of perfection," she chooses to let herself be carried, like a child, in the arms of God, through trust and love rather than through great works. At the heart of this spirituality is her discovery of "love" as her specific vocation within the Church: "my vocation is Love!" Her doctrine, accessible to all, makes abandonment, humility, and trust the ordinary means of holiness. In addition to her autobiographical writings are letters, poems, "pious recreations," and the words collected during her final months, which extend and clarify this message.

Thérèse's holiness was not manifested by any brilliant deeds during her lifetime: it was accomplished in the obscurity of the cloister, through fidelity to small things done out of love. Her spiritual doctrine favors trust and abandonment to divine mercy rather than fear: "It is trust and nothing but trust that must lead us to Love." She insists on the idea that Jesus "does not look so much at the greatness of actions, or even their difficulty, as at the love with which one does them." In her final months, tested by illness and a night of faith, she offered her life to the merciful Love of God. The proclamation of Thérèse as a Doctor of the Church in 1997 confirmed the doctrinal scope of this teaching: John Paul II highlighted the "convergence between doctrine and experience" that characterizes her "science of love." Her reputation for holiness spread as soon as the Story of a Soul was published, accompanied by countless graces attributed to her intercession, which hastened the opening of her cause.

The cause of Thérèse progressed with remarkable speed, carried by her popular renown. She was beatified on April 29, 1923, by Pope Pius XI, who saw in her the "star of his pontificate." The beatification was based on two healings recognized as miraculous: that of Sister Louise of Saint-Germain, suffering from a stomach ulcer, and that of Father Charles Anne, struck by pulmonary tuberculosis. Two new miraculous healings—those of Sister Gabrielle Trimusi, suffering from tuberculosis, and Maria Pellemans, cured of pulmonary tuberculosis at the tomb of Thérèse—approved by decree on March 19, 1925, opened the way to canonization, celebrated on May 17, 1925, at Saint Peter's in Rome before an immense crowd. On October 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church through the apostolic letter Divini Amoris Scientia, making her the third woman to receive this title. Her liturgical feast is set for October 1.

The legacy of Thérèse has experienced an uncommon global reach. On December 14, 1927, Pius XI proclaimed her patroness of the missions, equal to Saint Francis Xavier, in recognition of her missionary desire expressed in the promise to "spend her heaven doing good upon earth." In 1944, Pius XII declared her secondary patroness of France, alongside Saint Joan of Arc whom she admired. Her "little way" has profoundly influenced the spirituality of the 20th century and continues to inspire the faithful and pastors alike. Thérèse's own family has been recognized by the Church: her parents, Louis and Zélie Martin, were canonized together by Pope Francis on October 18, 2015, the first spouses to be canonized as a couple. The center of the Thérèsian cult remains Lisieux, where the Basilica of Saint Thérèse, one of the largest churches built in the 20th century, and the Carmel attract numerous pilgrims each year. Her relics have been carried on pilgrimage throughout the world, testifying to the vitality of her devotion.