September 30, 2007

I begin this blog of St. Therese of Lisieux on the vigil of her feast in 2007 in thanksgiving for her presence in my life and her powerful influence in the world.  I hope this online journal will be a radiant center to reflect on the life and spirituality of St. Therese and how she can help us in our own spiritual formation.  I also want to introduce you to the Web site, "Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway,"  a window to the life, spirituality, writings, and mission of St. Therese.

To celebrate the feast, please watch the film St. Therese of the Child Jesus: An Echo of the Heart of God.  This splendid documentary visits Therese's birthplace at Alencon, home at Lisieux, and Carmelite monastery.  What pilgrims to Lisieux cannot see, you can: the buildings where Therese spent her last nine years; the choir where she prayed; her cell; the infirmary where she died.  The Carmelites of today gather for recreation in the "heated room" where Therese was asked to write her memoirs.  One of them shows us her cell, her writing-desk, her image of the Holy Face.  Expert color photography of the Theresian places as they are today blends with 19th-century photographs of Therese, her fellow Carmelites, and documents.  Bishop Guy Gaucher, Carmelite and expert on St. Therese, speaks of her life and her faith.