The funeral of Sister Therese of the Child Jesus

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October 4 - Therese's funeral day

Sister Therese of the Child Jesus died on Thursday evening, September 30, in the infirmary of the Lisieux Carmel. Her funeral took place in the chapel of the Carmel on Monday morning, October 4, at 9:00. Below please see, courtesy of Ana Cantoni, the clipping from the newspaper Le Normand of her death notice:

Lenormandobituary.jpg

An approximate English translation:

Deaths

"It is with a keen feeling of sadness that we learned, Thursday evening, of the death at the monastery of Our Lady of Carmel of a young person who spent the most beautiful years of her youth in a life of prayer and sacrifice.  Miss Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin renounced the world at the age of fifteen.  Consecrating herself to God, she became Sister Therese of the Child Jesus.  She spent years of angelic life in the cloister, and the death which came to end them, by putting a stop to her long and cruel sufferings, has already given her, we have a sweet confidence, the immortal crown which was the object of her continual aspirations here below.

The funeral will be celebrated Monday morning at nine o'clock in the chapel of the Carmel.  Le Normand offers to the family of Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, to the Mother Prioress, and to all the religious of Carmel the homage of its respectful condolences."

After the funeral Mass the body of Sister Therese was taken to the Carmelite plot in the town cemetery, accompanied by a small group of mourners.  Her sister, Leonie Martin, was the chief mourner, for Uncle Isidore was too sick to attend.  The Carmelites were represented by an extern sister.  Leonie testified that the only remarkable thing about the ceremony was the great recollection of the crowd.  Who could have guessed that day that her real death notice, "Story of a Soul," would light up the world; that the tomb would soon be thronged with pilgrims; that, when her body was returned to Carmel in 1923, even before she was beatified, fifty thousand pilgrims would follow her; and that on the hill near the cemetery the basilica of St. Therese would be built?