St. Therese of Lisieux - Carmelite nun St. Therese of Lisieux
(1873-1897), Carmelite nun Teresa was born at Alencon, Normandy.
In 1886 she underwent a religious conversion and thereafter
dedicated herself to monastic life. Entering the Carmelite
convent at Lisieux at fifteen, she was appointed assistant
novice mistress in 1893. One year before her death (1897) from
tuberculosis, she volunteered to join the Carmelite missionaries
in China. Her devotional book, The Little Way, was widely
acclaimed, as was her autobiography The Story of a Soul.
Miracles of healing and prophecy soon were attributed to her
name, and an account of these was appended in 1907 to the
autobiography. Teresa was beatified in 1923 and canonized in
1925. One year later a basilica was erected in her honor at
Lisieux. In 1929 she became patroness of foreign missions, and
in 1947 she was named patroness of France, together with Joan of
Arc. Churches and shrines dedicated to her memory often bear the
title "Little Flower", reflecting the subti