Doctor of the Church
Saint Therese of Lisieux
Patron of missions, florists, France, AIDS sufferers
Feast day: October 1
Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873-1897) was a Discalced Carmelite nun of Lisieux who died at twenty-four. Her autobiography, Story of a Soul, taught the 'Little Way' of trust and confidence in God's merciful love. Pope Pius XI canonized her in 1925, Pope Pius XI named her co-patroness of the missions, and Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church in 1997.
