St Thérèse of Lisieux

Thérèse de l'Enfant-Jésus et de la Sainte-Face

The young Carmelite of the 'little way', who promised a shower of roses from heaven

Thérèse Martin, born in Alençon in 1873, entered the Carmel of Lisieux at fifteen and died there of tuberculosis at twenty-four, never having left its walls. Known as the Little Flower, she taught a "little way" to holiness: small, hidden acts done with great love. Her memoir, Story of a Soul, carried that path around the world, and in 1997 she was declared a Doctor of the Church.

Devotees turn to her for the Little Way of trust, and on behalf of the sick, orphans and the homeless. She is patron of missions and missionaries, florists and gardeners, pilots and France. Her feast falls on 1 October in the Roman Calendar, though the French Church keeps it on the last Saturday of September. Her unedited manuscripts, published in 1957, reveal a starker, stronger writer than the sweet "little flower" of older popular images.

See the gallery

Saint Thérèse's picture for Father Roulland, 1896-08-20. Wikimedia Commons (public domain), Thérèse of Lisieux

How to recognise St Thérèse of Lisieux

Carmelite habitA brown, homespun Discalced Carmelite habit with a brown scapular worn over it, signs of her religious vocation.
White veilA white wimple and veil frame her face, often with a dark veil over it in later holy cards and icons; a white mantle sometimes flows behind her.
Crucifix wrapped in rosesShe holds a crucifix draped with roses against her chest, the attribute that sets her apart from other Carmelite saints in the same habit.
RosesArmfuls of pink, red and white roses, with petals sometimes falling, recall her name the Little Flower and her promise to let fall a 'shower of roses' from heaven.
Youthful faceShe is shown young and gentle, as she died at twenty-four, and never as an elderly woman.
DovesIn some church statues, such as a bronze version, doves rest at her feet.
Not Teresa of ÁvilaTeresa of Ávila wears the same habit but carries a quill and book, while Thérèse holds the roses and crucifix.

Names and titles

The Little FlowerHer own image of herself as a small wildflower in God's garden, which gave her the popular name
The Little WayHer path to holiness through small, ordinary acts done with great love
Shower of RosesHer promise to let fall a shower of roses from heaven after her death
Patroness of the MissionsNamed co-patron of the missions in 1927 though she never left her convent; she prayed for missionaries
Little ThérèseIn French and German, la petite Thérèse, set beside the 'great' Teresa of Ávila

Feast days

Memorial of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus1 October, every year

The Roman Catholic memorial of Thérèse Martin, the Carmelite nun of Lisieux who died at 24 and is known for her 'little way' of trust. John Paul II named her a Doctor of the Church in 1997.
How it's celebrated. At Lisieux, pilgrims attend Mass in the basilica, where her relics are carried in procession and roses may be laid upon them. Solemn Masses there include a shower of rose petals. The Carmelite church in Mdina, Malta, has held a blessing of roses. The same celebration is kept on other dates elsewhere (see the old date and the French date).
Sources: Sister Servants of the Eternal Word: In Lisieux for Thérèse's Feast Day · Sanctuary of Lisieux: Feast of Saint Thérèse 2026 programme (via Festival en France) · Carmelite Priory Mdina: Feast of St Thérèse
Anniversary of Thérèse's death in Lisieux30 September, every year

The anniversary of the day Thérèse died of tuberculosis in the Carmel of Lisieux, aged 24. The Roman Martyrology names her on this day, and her memorial falls on the day after.
How it's celebrated. At Lisieux the day has included a pilgrimage to the town cemetery. In some years there has also been vespers at the Carmel and a torchlit procession of her relics to the basilica. The Lisieux festivals, begun in 1944, were tied to the date of her death.
Sources: Aleteia: Why St. Thérèse's feast day is not on September 30 · Sanctuary of Lisieux: Les Fêtes de sainte Thérèse · Sanctuary of Lisieux: Fêtes de sainte Thérèse 2023
Anniversary of Thérèse's birth in Alençon2 January, every year

The anniversary of Thérèse's birth in Alençon, Normandy, to Louis Martin, a watchmaker, and Zélie Guérin, a lacemaker. Sources record that she was baptized two days later in the church of Notre-Dame.
How it's celebrated. I found no established liturgical rites for this day, which is a biographical anniversary. In 2023, the 150th anniversary of her birth was marked by an apostolic exhortation on her from Pope Francis, who dedicated it to her.
Sources: Britannica: St. Thérèse of Lisieux · FishEaters: The Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux · Wikipedia: C'est la confiance
Anniversary of Thérèse's canonization17 May, every year

The anniversary of Thérèse's solemn canonization by Pope Pius XI at St Peter's in Rome, less than 28 years after her death, when the Church declared her a saint for the whole Church.
How it's celebrated. My sources record no regular annual rite. For the centenary in 2025, Lisieux held three days of celebration. These included a prayer vigil, an evening procession of her relics through the streets on a horse-drawn cart, and her reliquary displayed before the basilica.
Sources: Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux: Beatification and Canonization · Catholic Review: Lisieux celebrates 100 years since the canonization · EBSCO Research Starters: Thérèse of Lisieux Is Canonized
Former Roman feast day (also Melkite feast day)3 October, every year

The date of Thérèse's feast in the Roman Calendar from 1927 until 1969, and the date on which the Melkite Catholic calendar keeps her. It is the same celebration as the modern Roman memorial, on another date.
How it's celebrated. In Melkite use, one report citing the book Byzantine Daily Worship says the day has its own troparion and kontakion for Thérèse. Communities that follow the Roman liturgical books of 1962 also give this older date for her feast. Practice varies between communities.
Sources: Wikipedia: Thérèse of Lisieux · Byzantine Forum: St. Therese of Lisieux and the Eastern Catholic Churches · Una Voce France: Sainte Thérèse de l'Enfant-Jésus et de la Sainte Face
Feast of St Thérèse in France25 September 2027 (date to be confirmed)

The feast as kept in France, where Thérèse is a secondary patron saint, at the end of September rather than on the Roman Calendar day. It is the same celebration as the Roman memorial, on a different day.
How it's celebrated. One Carmelite source says the Church in France keeps it on the last Saturday of September. A French source on the 1962 books gives an optional solemnity on the last Sunday, so practice appears to vary. At Lisieux the Fêtes thérésiennes, begun in 1944, fill late September with torchlit relic processions, solemn Masses and showers of rose petals.
Sources: Carmelite Priory Mdina: Feast of St Thérèse · Una Voce France: Sainte Thérèse de l'Enfant-Jésus et de la Sainte Face · Sanctuary of Lisieux: Les Fêtes de sainte Thérèse