Thérèse of Lisieux
French Discalced Carmelite nun, Doctor of the Church (1873–1897)
Feast: 1 October (current Roman calendar, memorial) · 3 October (1962 Missal, III class)
Who they were
Thérèse Martin was born in Alençon, Normandy, on 2 January 1873, and entered the Carmelite convent at Lisieux in 1888, aged fifteen.
She died there on 30 September 1897, aged 24. Her autobiographical writings, published as Story of a Soul, spread her way of holiness far beyond her convent.
The miracles
Sister Louise of St Germain — Daughters of the Cross, Ustaritz, France
A religious sister was healed of a bleeding stomach ulcer that was expected to kill her.
Fr Charles Anne — Lisieux, France
A young man was healed of a fast-moving pulmonary tuberculosis.
Sister Gabrielle Trimusi — Parma, Italy — 1923
A sister of the Little Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary was healed of tuberculosis affecting two parts of her body.
Maria Pellemans — Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium — 1923
A young woman suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis was cured at Thérèse's grave in Lisieux.
Why that counted as sanctity
On 14 August 1921 the Church declared that this life showed the Christian virtues to a heroic degree, and gave the title Venerable. The case of Sister Louise of St Germain was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle, opening the way to beatification. Beatification followed on 29 April 1923 by Pius XI. The case of Sister Gabrielle Trimusi was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 19 March 1925, opening the way to canonisation. Canonisation followed on 17 May 1925 by Pius XI.
Connected on this site
- Louis Martin Saint Parent, Father“Louis Martin (22 August 1823 – 29 July 1894) and Azélie-Marie "Zélie" Guérin Martin (23 December 1831 – 28 August 1877) were a French Catholic couple and the parents of five nuns, including Thérèse of Lisieux, a Discalced Carmelite canonized by the Catholic Church in 1925, and her elder sister Léonie Martin, a…” — Wikipedia
- Léonie Martin Saint Brother or sister“She was the daughter of Saints Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin and an elder sister of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.” — Wikipedia
- Teresa of the Andes Saint Influenced by them
- Therese Neumann Servant of God Influenced by them
- Francis Xavier Saint“In 1927, Pope Pius XI published the decree Apostolicorum in Missionibus naming Francis Xavier, along with Thérèse of Lisieux, co-patron of all foreign missions.” — Wikipedia
- Gabriel-Taurin Dufresse Saint“Murdered for his faith, he is one of the 120 martyrs of China, canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000, on the feast of Thérèse of Lisieux, patron saint of the missions.” — Wikipedia
- Elia di San Clemente Blessed“Fracasso's inclinations to become a nun stemmed from her childhood after having had a vision in 1911 in which Thérèse of Lisieux told her that she would become a nun; this realization came a decade later when she entered the convent in her native Bari where she remained for the remainder of her life.” — Wikipedia
- Maria Crocifissa Curcio Blessed“Her sole aim was "to bring souls to God" while attempting to emulate the example of Thérèse of Lisieux.” — Wikipedia
- Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux - history of the beatification and canonisation
- Aleteia, Apr 2023 - the miracles that paved the way for the beatification
- Wikidata Q181715 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Thérèse of Lisieux (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.