Thérèse immediately, but she is harder for men to approach than women because of the style of The Story of a Soul. The text opens with the emotional effusiveness of a young girl and only gradually reveals the strength and depth of a mature saint. Pope John Paul II named her a doctor of the Church-the third woman after St. Catholics consider her the patron saint of Russia, and Pope Pius XII named her co-patroness of France along with Joan of Arc in 1944. Two years later she was named Patroness of the Missions, because she sacrificed much for the success of missionary efforts, even though she could not be a missionary herself. She quickly attracted the attention of the Holy See, and was beatified in 1923 and canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, just 28 years after her death. Shortly before she died, Thérèse insisted that she would continue her zeal for souls after death: “I will pass my heaven in doing good on earth.”Īs her autobiography circulated, Thérèse’s spirituality immediately resonated with ordinary Catholics, who seemed to find her little way perfectly suited to every walk of life, no matter how humble.
In addition to desiring the lowest place in all things and fulfilling all the duties of her state in life, Thérèse offered many penances for the conversion of sinners, especially during her final illness and the dark night of the soul she suffered at that time. For Thérèse the way to holiness was not great and noble deeds but the fulfillment of the smallest duties with great love and complete reliance upon God.
Outwardly, Thérèse lived a very ordinary Carmelite life, but she was so aware of her own weaknesses and had such great confidence in God that her genuine humility and spiritual depth were highly valued by her superiors, who frequently put her in charge of the spiritual formation of novices.
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