Therese de Lisieux

In 1997, she was declared "Doctor of the Church" by Pope John Paul II, only the third woman to be so honored.

Therese de Lisieux is one of the most beloved saints of all time. Born Therese Martin in Alencon, France, she expressed a desire very early in her life to become a nun of the Carmelite order. She sought permis- sion from the pope to enter the local monastery at an earlier age than usual. Eventually, she entered the Carmelite monastery in Lisieux, France at the age of fifteen, one year earlier than normal. Once there, she realized that she had found her perfect vocation. She never re- gretted it. As a nun, Therese articulated what she called "the little way. " The little way was characterized by simple devotion and reliance upon Jesus Christ to resolve the daily crises and sorrows of life. Her little way generated intense and sublime joy for Therese. There were no fireworks in her spiritual life. She had no visions, no miraculous healings, no stigmata, nothing that is commonly associated with sainthood. She is admired for the consistency of her devotion and her extraordinary holiness. When she became ill with tuberculosis and died at the very young age of twenty-four, it didn't take long for her to become a saint. She had already written an autobiography which was published the year after her death. She was so beloved in her native France and throughout Europe that both sides in the first world war claimed her as their patron saint. This was even before she had officially become a saint. In 1925, just twenty-eight years after her death, she was canonized a saint. Her letters, which fill two huge volumes, are still in print.