Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

At the age of 14, on Christmas Eve in 1886, Therese had a conversion that transformed her life. From then on, her powerful energy and sensitive spirit were turned toward love, instead of keeping herself happy. At 15, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux to give her whole life to God. She took the religious name Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Living a hidden, simple life of prayer, she was gifted with great intimacy with God. Through sickness and dark nights of doubt and fear, she remained faithful to God, rooted in His merciful love. After a long struggle with tuberculosis, she died on September 30, 1897, at the age of 24. Her last words were the story of her life: "My God, I love You!"

The world came to know Therese through her autobiography, "Story of a Soul". She described her life as a "little way of spiritual childhood." She lived each day with an unshakable confidence in God's love. "What matters in life," she wrote, "is not great deeds, but great love." Therese lived and taught a spirituality of attending to everyone and everything well and with love. She believed that just as a child becomes enamored with what is before her, we should also have a childlike focus and totally attentive love. Therese's spirituality is of doing the ordinary, with extraordinary love.

She loved flowers and saw herself as the "little flower of Jesus," who gave glory to God by just being her beautiful little self among all the other flowers in God's garden. Because of this beautiful analogy, the title "little flower" remained with Saint Therese.

Her inspiration and powerful presence from heaven touched many people very quickly. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 17, 1925. Had she lived, she would have been only 52 years old when she was declared a Saint.

"My mission - to make God loved - will begin after my death," she said. "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses." Roses have been described and experienced as Saint Therese's signature. Countless millions have been touched by her intercession and imitate her "little way." She has been acclaimed "the greatest saint of modern times." In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared Saint Therese a Doctor of the Church - the only Doctor of his pontificate - in tribute to the powerful way her spirituality has influenced people all over the world.

The message of Saint Therese is beautiful, inspiring, and simple.

The statue of SaintTherese and Meditation Area were donated by the Henry Family in memory of Michael Henry, Permanent Deacon and Barbara Noone Robins.

Discovery Ministries - Faith Walk and Rosary Garden:
  1. The Discovery House Rosary Garden
  2. The beautiful Grotto
  3. The Pyramid
  4. Saint Nicholas
  5. St. Patrick of Ireland
  6. Jesus Blesses the Children Mark 10:13-16
  7. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
  8. Our Guardian Angel
  9. Saint Maria Goretti
  10. Saint Stephen
  11. Saint Michael The Archangel
  12. Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta
  13. Saint Rita of Cascia
  14. Our Lady of Guadalupe
  15. Woman of Hope
  16. Knights of Columbus
  17. Jesus and The Teenager
  18. The Grieving Mother