Less than 6 months before her death St. Thérèse wrote the poem “Abandonment Is the Sweet Fruit of Love.”  Its stanzas are fertile earth for reflection.

At the encouragement of my sister, I began to ask for Thérèse’s intercession. I began to get better, and I was able to slowly return to the life I had been living before my illness. I had a relapse in 2003, but was able to overcome it.

Little Flower Basilica has the distinction of being home to first class relics of many of the Carmelite saints. In the fall of 2021, in order to celebrate All Carmelite Saints and All Carmelite Souls along with the return of many public activities, a special exhibition was held of many of these seldom seen treasures.

When I was first introduced to The Story of a Soul, I expected the spirituality of St. Thérèse of Lisieux to be… well, a little soft. I thought it would be a bit overly flowery.

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus is among the most popular and most beloved saints in the Catholic Church. However, many have the mistaken idea that her life was easy and romantic and that her message can be reduced to the cute slogan: “Do little things with great love.”