A new season of a “Catholic Classics” podcast is inviting people to encounter St. Thérèse of Lisieux by listening to her world-famous autobiography, “Story of a Soul,” beginning on her feast day, Oct. 1.
“St. Thérèse shows us what she calls ‘The Little Way,’ which precisely is this way of confidence and love,” Father Michael-Joseph Paris of St. Thérèse, OCD, a co-host of “Catholic Classics,” says in a trailer for the podcast. “That through confidence in God’s grace and through expressing our love for the little things of each day, no matter what our vocation may be, we can truly attain great holiness.”
Listeners can hear the entirety of “Story of a Soul” for free by tuning in to the third season of the podcast by Ascension, a Catholic media company, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music. Along the way, Father Michael-Joseph, together with co-host Father Jacob Bertrand Janczyk, OP, will provide commentary on St. Thérèse, the 19th-century French Carmelite nun beloved for her “little way” of childlike trust and confidence in God’s merciful love.
The podcast will run for 28 days, with daily episodes lasting from 32 to 40 minutes.
“This podcast is a chance for people to hear St. Thérèse’s own words (read aloud by a young woman with a French background), and then with commentary that can help the book become more understandable and applicable in their lives,” Father Michael-Joseph told Our Sunday Visitor in an email.
The new project comes after Pope Francis released a letter reflecting on St. Thérèse — one of four women named a Doctor of the Church for her contributions to the Faith — in 2023 that marked the 150th anniversary of her birth and the 100th anniversary of her beatification.
Encountering God’s love
“What excites me is that it gives an opportunity for St. Thérèse’s Little Way of Confidence and Love to become embraced by people who might not have encountered her before,” Father Michael-Joseph said of the podcast. “Also, to strengthen those who have read Thérèse but perhaps need some encouragement to keep moving forward in their path towards union with God.”
To follow along, Ascension welcomes listeners to sign up for a reading plan and join a Facebook group dedicated to the podcast. A special Ascension edition of “Story of a Soul,” created in collaboration with the Institute of Carmelite Studies, is also available for purchase.
Father Michael-Joseph hoped that the podcast audience, after listening to this season about St. Thérèse, would remember God’s love.
“That God is Merciful Love who only seeks to pour himself out into our lives and transform us into great saints,” he said. “That our weakness, our limitations and seeming failures do not have to be an obstacle for us.”
“Through confidence in God’s love and power, these become the fertile ground for God’s work in us,” he added. “A radical acceptance of myself, rooted in trust in Jesus’ infinite love for me, is the path for the Holy Spirit’s transforming action.”
A personal perspective
For his part, Father Michael-Joseph revealed how St. Thérèse has transformed his life. It began, he said, with “Story of a Soul.”
“I first met her on my 20th birthday when a friend gave me ‘Story of a Soul,'” he said. “I had recently experienced a strong conversion from a life of a lot of sin and darkness.”
Her words drew him in and even influenced his vocation, he said.
“At first I was not too impressed by this young 19th-century French girl, but soon I became captivated by her sincerity and her relationship with Jesus,” he remembered. “I saw how she came to believe so deeply in God’s love for her that she could get through anything, even the most painful trials of her final illness.
“She had confidence God would make her into exactly who he wanted her to be no matter how much she stumbled and fell along the way,” he added. “Thérèse showed me that there is no reason to fear anything, and this motivated me to follow a beginning attraction to the priesthood.”
Today, he considers her a friend.
“St. Thérèse would constantly show up in significant moments of my vocational discernment, and a word from her would dispel anxieties along my spiritual path,” Father Michael-Joseph said. “Throughout the years she has been a friend who shows me her love and presence through little details in very unexpected, but important moments.”
“Delving deeply into her writings and the writings about her, has been a continual source of light and encouragement,” he concluded. “She constantly reminds me that love is the only goal for my life and actions.”
