St Thérèse of Lisieux
Born in 1873, Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin entered the Carmelite convent at Lisieux in Normandy at the age of 15. Three of her sisters also became nuns. She lived the simple but demanding life of the Carmel and died at the age of 24 from tuberculosis.
She quickly became a popular because of her holiness and simple approach to the spiritual life. Her spiritual memoir, The Story of a Soul (Histoire d'une âme), is a practical guide to the spiritual life and has sold thousands of copies in many languages. In it she describes her “little way” to God.
Thérèse was declared a saint by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and was given the title Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997. She is popularly known as The Little Flower, a description of herself as God’s little flower in her writing.
The feast day of St Thérèse is 1st October.
This marble statue of St Thérèse was given in memory of ESB who died on 17th May 1949. It stands under the tenth station of the cross, the crucifixion on Jesus, which was central to her prayer and spiritual life.
“May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”