St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Feast day: October 1
Born in France, Thérèse (known as the Little Flower) was the youngest of nine children of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin. Her mother died when she was 4, and the family moved to Lisieux. When two of her sisters became Carmelite cloistered nuns, Thérèse decided to join the order also and was given the religious name of Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Afflicted with tuberculosis, the disease took her life at the age of 24. Her autobiography is called “The Story of a Soul.” Canonized in 1925, Thérèse was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997. She is patron of missionaries.
Collect
O God, who open your Kingdom
to those who are humble and to little ones,
lead us to follow trustingly in the little way of Saint Thérèse,
so that through her intercession
we may see your eternal glory revealed.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
