FEAST OF THE DAY
Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, nicknamed "Little
Flower," was a Carmelite nun who lived at the end of the nineteenth
century in the Lisieux, France. She was born in 1873 and was the
last of nine children. Her family was moderately well off and had the
income of two parents, her father worked as a watchmaker and her
mother made lace. The family was loving, supportive, and taught a
strong love of God and each other.
Therese's childhood was not completely happy. When Therese was
only four her mother died of cancer. Seeking to give his children the
best he could, Louis, Therese's father, sold his business and moved
in with his brother-in-law, who lived in Lisieux. Louis was now able to
provide individual attention and a stable life for his children. Louis
spent large amounts of time with Therese, many times going to the
Carmelite chapel to pray together.
At the age of 15, after gaining special permission from the pope,
Therese entered the Carmelite monastery, where she spent the rest
of her life. In her daily life, Therese lived a holy life and did not go out
of her way to show her virtue. She sought to please God by doing
the simple things, this became the basis of her "little way."
In April 1896, Therese began to develop tuberculosis. She died 18
months later on October 1, 1897. Therese was canonized in 1927,
and declared a doctor of the Church in 1997. During her life, she had
many writings, which were complied into books. One of the most
famous is "The Story of a Soul." She is the patroness of florists,
missions and France.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the
greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love
with which we do them -St. Therese
TODAY IN HISTORY
1897 Death of St. Therese of Lisieux
TODAY'S TIDBIT
St. Therese is one of the patrons of missions. Although Therese
never left the convent, she had a great desire to be a missionary and
prayed fervently for missions. One of the reasons Therese was
chosen as a patron of missions is to highlight the importance of
praying for the success of missionaries.
INTENTION FOR THE DAY
Please pray, through the intercession of St. Therese, for all
missionaries and for all missions.
Miraculous Invocation To St. Therese 
O glorious Saint Therese, whom Almighty God has raised up to aid and counsel mankind, I implore your Miraculous Intercession. So powerful are you in obtaining every need of body and soul our Holy Mother Church proclaims you a "Prodigy of Miracles . . . the Greatest Saint of Modern Times." Now I fervently beseech you to answer my petition [describe your petition here] and to carry out your promises of spending Heaven doing good on earth . . . of letting fall from Heaven a Shower of Roses. Henceforth, dear Little Flower, I will fulfill your plea "to be made known everywhere" and I will never cease to lead others to Jesus through you. Amen.