The relics of St. Thérèse will be venerated around England and Wales in Autumn 2009

St. Thérèse of Lisieux2nd January 1873 – 30th September

1897 aged 24 years

Ordinariness to Spirituality

• An Ordinary child

• Experienced loss at an early age

• A Spiritual childhood

• A Carmelite Nun at 15

• Lived a Simple life of prayer

• Practiced short, heartfelt prayers and her spirituality was based on doing ordinary deeds with extraordinary love

• Canonized by Pope Pius XI 1925

Who was Thérèse?

Thérèse, an ordinary girl, the last child of nine born to ordinary

parents – Louis and Zelie Martin

The love of parents is the medium through which the love of God is taught. St. Thérèse of Lisieux

• Thérèse did not like school and was not a good student but later came to love science and history

• She worked hard and tried her best• Like you she was bright and

eventually flourished

Thérèse at school

What are your gifts and talents?

St. Thérèse’s Mission“the little way”

• To make God loved

• Was a commitment to the tasks and to the people we meet in our everyday lives

• She wanted to be a missionary, she wanted to be on every continent at the same time, she wanted to reach the most remote islands of the world

Thérèse wanted to spend her heaven doing good on

earth

Thérèse loved flowers and saw herself as the ‘little

flower’ of Jesus

God created great saints, like the lilies and the roses, but he also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daises or the violets. St Thérèse of Lisieux

The message of Thérèse is beautiful, inspiring and

simple

God does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them

St Thérèse of LisieuxWhat are the small acts of love that you do for others?

The message of Thérèse is beautiful, inspiring and

simpleGod needs from us neither great deeds or profound thoughts, neither intelligence or talents. He cherishes simplicity

St Thérèse of Lisieux

To look to God for direction is the only way to go about discovering how to use one’s gifts

whatever they are.

How have you used your gifts and talents this week? How will you use your gifts

and talents tomorrow?

The message of Thérèse is beautiful, inspiring and

simpleSt Thérèse, the little Flower was a BIG

help to America’s ice skaters! 

Tara Lipinski, Olympic Gold Medallist says of Thérèse “I know that without her I could never have done anything at the Olympics, not that she made me win, but gave me the faith to believe”.

Timothy Goebel, Bronze Olympic Medallist says of Thérèse “her greatest desire was to lead others to faith in God, and faith in themselves”.

The Teacher of teachers instructs without the sound of words, and although I have never heard Him speak, yet

I know He is within me, always guiding and inspiring me; and just when I need Him. St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Pope Benedict XVI venerates the relics

of St. Thérèse

St. Thérèse is patron to:

Could St. Thérèse be your patron?

Priests, Airline pilots, Aircrew, Flower growers, AIDS patients, Missions around the world, Black missions and many more.

I feel that my mission is soon to begin,to make others love God as I do...

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Finally, on 30th September 1897, aged only 24 years,

St. Thérèse died of tuberculosis saying “Oh, I love Him…Dear God, I love

you!”

© Catholic Education Service

© CJM Music Limited 2009.