Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897) or the “Little Flower of Jesus” was the youngest of five girls. Quite spoiled at first, she was also drawn to prayer as a child. With special permission, she joined the Carmelite convent of Catholic nuns at Lisieux at fifteen. Accepting failing health and the end of her dream of becoming a missionary, Thérèse developed a “Little Way,” a spirituality of embracing the challenges and events of everyday life for the love of God. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, was a bestseller soon after her death at twenty-four. Thérèse was canonized in 1925 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997.
