How important, then, is she among so many saintly persons in modern times? She is very important as a model of childlike reliance on the goodness of God. The miracles worked through her intercession were approved two years later by Pope Pius XI, who beatified her in 1923 and canonized her in 1925.Īs we read through the pontifical documents issued by these two pontiffs, we find one predominant theme they stress: Thérèse of Lisieux practiced the virtues of spiritual childhood. Her practice of virtue was declared heroic by Pope Benedict XV in 1921. Something of a record was set in the speed with which the Church moved in raising St. Thérèse found in reading the lives of the saints has been shared by millions of readers of her own life story. By the time of her canonization in 1925, over a million copies of the French edition had been sold and translations are now available in all the major languages of the world. Two years after her death, the Autobiography (Story of a Soul) she was ordered to write by her Carmelite superiors was published. I must admit, however, that I have envied, at times, the happy lot of relatives who had the good fortune to live in their company and enjoy their holy conversation (July 20, 1895). The account of their heroic deeds inflames my courage and spurs me on to imitate them. Two years before her death, Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face wrote to her aunt, Isidore Guerin: I love to read the lives of the saints very much.
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