The mother of St. Thérèse, St. Zélie (baptized as Azélie-Marie, but affectionately known as Zélie)—is an appealing-to-many, newer saint (canonized along with her husband, Louis, in 2015) who offers much to mull over as the mother of the dearly-loved Little Flower. 

When St. Thérèse—at the age of 22—wrote down her childhood memories by order of the prioress, she painted an intriguing piece of art at the end—a specially designed Coat of Arms to express her heart’s feelings and inspirations.

At Christmas 1886 St. Thérèse experienced a profound conversion, recounting in Story of a Soul that at midnight mass a renewal came upon her as she felt charity enter her soul” and “the happiness of receiving the strong and powerful God.”

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.

We return to the altar rail, this time guiding you to the opposite side of the Basilica, near the altar of the Sacred Heart. Here we see an anachronistic image of Thérèse kneeling before the Madonna and Child. Thérèse stretches out her hand as if to stroke the Child’s face.

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.