The mysterious power of the saint of Lisieux

I never cease to be amazed at the attractive power of St Therese of Lisieux which takes this beautiful saint into people's hearts and lives even when they resist her.  A fellow Norman, Lucie Delarue-Mardrus (1874-1945), heard about all the attention being paid to Lisieux and the pilgrimages and so forth and was attracted to Therese even though she was an atheist.  This journalist, writer, poet, and sculptor visited Lisieux and the resulting attraction was so great that she ended up not only writing a book about Therese in 1926 but also making a statuette of her.  Lucie was not seemingly converted even so and was writing books considered scandalous by some in the 1920s.  In her day she was a best seller in the francophone world.  The saga of Therese after her death in 1897 is full of such fascinating stories, illustrating the mystery of her influence over people’s lives.

Intercessions:

Marie, Bernard (and wife Angela), Agnes – cancer

Siena, Elara – sick children

Rosemarie – very seriously ill

Wojtek – massive heart attack leaving him incapacitated

RIP Anthony Kirke, husband of Judith Kirke OCDS (distributors of the Carmelite Diary)

RIP Roswitha Watson OCDS (former President of St Therese Community, Oxford)