Why is St. Thérèse of Lisieux a patroness for missionaries?

St. Thérèse of Lisieux serves as the patroness of missionary activity despite never leaving her Carmelite monastery. In her spiritual autobiography, Story of a Soul, she described charity as the key to her vocation and expressed a desire to spread the Gospel to every land and the ends of the earth.

Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, who served as the national director for the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, noted in his book, Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s St. Thérèse: A Treasured Love Story, that her love for God drove her passion for the missions. Sheen stated that love is what makes a person a missionary. This connection to missionary work is highlighted ahead of the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday on Oct. 18.