Therese has been a highly influential model of sanctity for Catholics and for others because of the simplicity and practicality of her approach to the spiritual life. She is one of the most popular saints in the history of the church, [ 4 ] [ 5 ] although she was obscure during her lifetime. After nine years as a Carmelite nun, having fulfilled various offices such as sacristan and assistant to the novice mistress , in her last eighteen months in Carmel she fell into a night of faith , in which she is said to have felt Jesus was absent and been tormented by doubts that God existed.
Therese died at the age of 24 from tuberculosis. After her death, Therese became known globally through her spiritual memoir, The Story of a Soul , which explains her theology of the "Little Way".
As a result of her immense popularity and reputation for holiness, she was quickly beatified and canonized by Pope Pius XI , who completed the process just 28 years after her death. Her feast day in the General Roman Calendar was 3 October from until it was moved in to 1 October. Louis had tried to become a canon regular , wanting to enter the Great St Bernard Hospice , but had been refused because he did not know Latin.
She excelled in it and set up her own business on Rue Saint-Blaise at age At first they decided to live as brother and sister in a perpetual continence , but when a confessor discouraged them in this, they changed their lifestyle and had nine children. All five of their surviving daughters became nuns. In addition to Therese, they were:.
But Therese was his 'little queen', to whom all treasures belonged. Soon after her birth in January , the outlook for the survival of Therese Martin was uncertain. On every step, she calls out Mama! The Martins also practiced charity, visiting the sick and elderly and welcoming the occasional vagabond to their table. Even if she was not the model little girl her sisters later portrayed, Therese was very responsive to this education.
