The Little Flower: Finding Holiness in the Little Things

October begins with the feast of one of the Catholic Church’s most beloved saints: St. Thérèse of Lisieux, whose feast is celebrated on October 1.

Known affectionately as “The Little Flower,” Thérèse lived only 24 years. She never traveled to distant missions, founded a religious order, or accomplished the kinds of great public works we often associate with the saints. Instead, her remarkable influence grew from a much simpler idea: that an ordinary life, lived with extraordinary love and complete trust in God, could itself be a path to holiness.

Born Thérèse Martin in Alençon, France, on January 2, 1873, she was the youngest surviving daughter of Louis and Zélie Martin. Her mother died when Thérèse was only four, and the family later moved to Lisieux. Her parents themselves would eventually be canonized together by Pope Francis in 2015. Marians of the Immaculate Conception

Thérèse felt called to religious life while still very young. She wanted to enter the Carmelite monastery at Lisieux at only 15 years old, but her age initially stood in the way. During a pilgrimage to Rome, she even appealed personally to Pope Leo XIII for permission. She eventually entered Carmel the following year. Marians of the Immaculate Conception

Her “Little Way”

What made Thérèse’s spirituality so enduring was what became known as her “Little Way.”

She understood that she might never accomplish spectacular things. Instead, she sought holiness through trust in God, humility, sacrifice, and performing the ordinary actions of everyday life with love. Pope Francis later described her Little Way as a path of “trust and love” that can be followed by anyone, regardless of age or state in life. Vatican

That makes her message remarkably accessible.

Holiness does not necessarily require doing something the world considers extraordinary. It can be found in patience with another person, helping someone without expecting recognition, offering a prayer for someone in need, performing an unpleasant task without complaint, forgiving someone, or simply treating the people we encounter each day with greater kindness.

For Hibernians, there is something especially meaningful in that idea. Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity are not principles reserved for major occasions. They are lived through the small decisions we make in our homes, our parishes, our Division and our community.

A Missionary Who Never Left the Convent

There is another seemingly surprising part of Thérèse’s story.

She dreamed of being a missionary, yet she spent her religious life within the walls of a Carmelite convent. From there, however, she supported missionaries through correspondence, prayer and sacrifice. Her missionary spirituality became so influential that Pope Pius XI named her Patroness of the Missions alongside St. Francis Xavier in 1927. Vatican

St. John Paul II later explained that Thérèse understood mission as something in which every Christian can participate. Her vocation was rooted in love and prayer even though she never traveled to the mission fields herself. Vatican

It is another lesson that fits beautifully with her Little Way: we do not have to travel across the world to make a difference in it.

A Short Life With an Extraordinary Legacy

Thérèse became seriously ill with tuberculosis and died on September 30, 1897, at only 24 years old.

Her spiritual writings were subsequently published as Story of a Soul, introducing generations of Catholics around the world to her spirituality. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Marians of the Immaculate Conception

In 1997, a century after her death, Pope St. John Paul II proclaimed St. Thérèse a Doctor of the Church, recognizing the importance of her spiritual teaching for the universal Church. He described her Little Way as a path within everyone's reach, centered on trust in God's mercy and love. Vatican

More than a century after her death, perhaps that is why the Little Flower continues to speak so powerfully to people.

Her life reminds us that we don't have to wait for an opportunity to do something great.

Sometimes the greatest opportunity is simply to do the next small thing with great love.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us.

Learn More

This month's Irish Catholic Heritage feature was inspired by Kimberly Bruce's article “The Little Flower: St. Thérèse of Lisieux,” published by the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception.

Read “The Little Flower: St. Thérèse of Lisieux” at Marian.org

Additional historical and spiritual information was drawn from the Holy See's writings on St. Thérèse, including Pope St. John Paul II's declaration of her as a Doctor of the Church and Pope Francis' 2023 apostolic exhortation on her spirituality.