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On October 1, 2009, the liturgy of the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, "the greatest saint of modern times," in the words of Pope Saint Pius X. The charm of her "Little Way," with all its sweetness and mercy, admirably harmonizes with the traits of a genuine warrior, "I would die in a battlefield, arms in hand," she once stated. Her soul had infinite aspirations: she wanted to be a warrior, priest, apostle, doctor of the Church and martyr; she felt the courage of a crusader, of a Papal...

Catholics venerating relics of St Thérèse are 'slobbering zealots', says Labour councillorCouncillor Tim Cheetham, a Labour councillor in Barnsley, has been watching Catholics venerate the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux on television. “With all those slobbering zealots kissing that glass case, I hope it has some mystical power to prevent swine flu,” he wrote on Twitter this morning.That’s the authentic voice of 21st-century Labour. As Louise Bagshawe, novelist and Tory prospective candidate, immediately tweeted back: “Nice to describe faithful Catholics venerating a relic as slobbering zealots. Would you use such bigoted language about Muslims?”Cheetham’s pathetic reply: “As the church...

Thousands of Catholic Pilgrims Queue For A Glimpse of St Therese of Lisieux Remains At The Start Of Month-Long UK Tour Sophie Freeman 17th September 2009 [Several Pics in URL] Thousands of people flocked to a cathedral yesterday to catch a glimpse of the relics of a Roman Catholic nun described as the 'greatest saint of modern times'. Pilgrims collapsed in tears as a casket containing the remains of St Therese of Lisieux arrived at St John's Catholic Cathedral in Portsmouth for the first part of a month-long UK tour. Many of the faithful touched the protective glass or pressed...

The Little-Known St. Thérèse Written by Luis C. Azevedo    Thursday, August 20, 2009 On October 10, 2009, the liturgy of the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, “the greatest saint of modern times,” in the words of Pope Saint Pius X. The charm of her “Little Way,” with all its sweetness and mercy, admirably harmonizes with the traits of a genuine warrior, “I would die in a battlefield, arms in hand,” she once stated.1 Her soul had infinite aspirations: she wanted to be a warrior, priest, apostle, doctor of...

A Catholic Church in Toronto is hoping for a miracle — that the thief who stole a saint's relic will have a change of heart and return the holy object. The relic of St. Therese of Lisieux, patron saint of missions, is a small piece of her body — about the size of a quarter — which could have easily fit in the pocket of the thief. Jane Fleming, spokeswoman for St. Michael's Catholic Church, said the thief may have pretended to be praying at the saint's shrine while he or she removed the relic's Plexiglas cover and stole it...

Some time ago I posted an entry on a new painting of the Little Flower by our friend Leonard Porter. Porter is at the forefront of the renewal of classical painting, and his image of Therese has garnered a lot of attention for its combination of Western naturalism and the transcendence of the Eastern tradition. So many people have been asking about the possibility of ordering a print that Leonard has made signed high-quality 11"x14" prints available on eBay by clicking here. Help support high quality sacred art!

I was an Anglican priest the summer I met St. Thérèse of Lisieux.I was living in England and had three months free between jobs, so I decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. I was going to hitchhike and stay in monasteries and religious houses on the way. The first leg of my journey took me across the English Channel to Normandy. After staying with the Benedictines at the monastery of Bec Hellouin, I headed for the town of Lisieux. As a convert from evangelical American religion, I didn’t know much about the little saint of Lisieux, and what I...

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 14, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI expressed his joy at being able to pray before the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, which are in Rome accompanied by pilgrims and the bishop from the saint's home diocese. At the end of today's general audience, the Pope greeted the faithful from the French Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux, and Bishop Pierre Auguste Pican, who are in Rome on pilgrimage, with the relics of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.The Holy Father recalled how "120 years ago, Thérèse of Lisieux came to Rome to ask permission...

TORONTO, ON, February 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - After years of anticipation and internet buzz, the film Thérèse has opened on screens across Canada, and its February 18 premiere in Toronto has generated rave reviews from filmgoers city-wide. American filmmaker Leonardo Defilippis, who directed and starred in Thérèse, surprised audiences by appearing at select locations in Toronto Friday night, and accepted praise for his film bio-pic, whose 5-year odyssey to the big screen has been fraught with obstacles, criticism, miracles, and changed lives. “We’ve beaten the odds,” said Defilippis. “We’ve brought the message of Thérèse, her simplicity, her love of God,...

29 SEP 04 Feast of St. Jerome, Priest, Doctor of the Church Tomorrow (01 OCT 04) is the feast day of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Its no accident that on this day the official release of the movie 'Therese - The Story of Saint Therese of Lisieux' takes place. Luke Films, the film's producer has done a supposedly exquisite job in telling the story of Therese for all to experience. My family and I will be seeing this movie tomorrow. I hope you will join us. Much can be learned from St. Therese's life. The theaters presenting 'Therese'...

ROME, MAY 18, 2003 (Zenit.org) - Vatican officials and missionaries get a 'sneak' preview of the new, major motion picture depicting the life of St. Thèrése of Lisieux. The screening of "Thèrése" was sponsored by the Pontifical Mission Societies and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. St. Therese is honored as the patroness of the missions. The film aims to tell the story of St. Thèrése by providing a window into her interior life and spiritual development. Lindsay Younce, a recent convert to Catholicism from the Society of Friends, stars as St. Thèrése. Commenting on Younce's performance, Carmelite priest...

Hollywood Movie Depicts Life of St. Therese 4/16/03 Dear Friends, As you may be aware, our friend Leonardo Defilippis has produced a delightful family motion picture called Therese, about the "Little Flower," St. Therese of Lisieux. His plan is to release it to U.S. theaters in October, around St. Therese's feast day. However, the number of theaters in which it's shown — and thus the impact that St. Therese can have on people's lives through this movie — will largely be determined by the popular interest shown in the film NOW. In other words, the more interest Catholic families demonstrate...