The Feast of the Little Flower, St. Thérèse of Lisieux

The Church celebrates the feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun who died of tuberculosis in France on September 30, 1897. Although she lived a life of obscurity, her spiritual autobiography later gained widespread recognition throughout the Catholic world.

Fr. Steve Grunow notes that reports of miracles attributed to her intercession followed her death, leading to her canonization. During the centenary of her death, Pope John Paul II named her a Doctor of the Church, a title reserved for saints recognized as major authorities on the Christian spiritual life.

Thérèse’s teachings emphasize that holiness is found through a willing surrender to God within ordinary daily experiences rather than through extraordinary deeds.