Turning to the Mystics with James Finley Turning to Thérèse of Lisieux
Mar 16, 2026
A season-opening conversation on Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, tracing her life from childhood to cloistered Carmelite life. They highlight her ‘little way,’ ordinary acts as spiritual practice, and deep Scriptural and mystical influences. Stories about Thomas Merton, relics, suffering, and her enduring impact on devotion and the communion of saints are also explored.
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Story Of A Soul Was Written Across Her Final Years
- Story of a Soul consists of three manuscripts written during different life stages: the first at 22, a retreat sharing, and a final dying manuscript.
- She wrote the main manuscript in one year, discovered she had tuberculosis shortly after, and died a year later at 24.
A Young Carmelite Became A Global Spiritual Doctor
- Thérèse's writings spread rapidly after her death; by canonization in 1925 it was translated into 20 languages and later into 54 languages by 1957.
- Pope John Paul II later declared her a Doctor of the Church, highlighting her global and spiritual impact.
Loss Refined Thérèse's Sensitivity To Grace
- Thérèse's early losses refined her emotional sensitivity and became the soil for encountering God within feelings.
- After her mother died at age four, an older sister became like a mother and later the prioress, deepening relational threads in her spirituality.
