Who was Saint Therese of the Roses?

Saint Terezinha of the Roses, or Saint Terezinha of the Child Jesus, was a Carmelite nun that lived at the end of the XIX century, in France. Her young life lasted only 24 years, being born in 1873, and died in 1897, but that did not stop her from leading a life full of love, dedication and example of faith expression.

Her trajectory was marked by the absence of her mother, who died when Terezinha was 4 years old, and by her debilitated health. This trajectory was described by her in a series of manuscripts and letters addressed to her sister, Paulina.

The latter, an older sister, gathered all her writings and turned them into a book called "The Story of a Soul". In 1925, she was beatified by the Catholic Church. She was canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, who declared her to be the greatest saint of modern times.

In 1927 she was declared Universal Patroness of the Missions, an honor that becomes interesting in view of the fact that she never left the Carmelite convent since she entered it at the age of 14. Follow the text and learn how Saint Terezinha accomplished this feat, her relationship with the roses, her legacy and more.

History of Santa Terezinha das Rosas

In spite of a life cut short by tuberculosis, Saint Terezinha lived long enough to mark her passage through the world. The limitations of physical and emotional fragility led her to find divine greatness in the little things in life. An example of this is her fascination for roses. Through the flower she contemplated a synthesis of God's power.

In the same way her love for missionary work gave her a special place in the Church. And her sanctity was achieved in the beauty of everyday simplicity. Read on below and see how her story made Saint Terezinha the greatest saint of modern times.

The Life of Saint Therese of the Roses

Marie Françoise Thérèse Martin, or Marie Françoise Thérèse Martin, came to life on January 2, 1873. Her birthplace was in Alençon, lower Normandy, France. Her mother, Zélie Guérin, died when the girl was only 4 years old, a situation that led her to have her sister Paulina as a mother figure.

Her father was the watchmaker and jeweler Louis Martin, in whom there was a desire to join the monastic order of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. St. Theresa's three brothers died at an early age.

Besides her brothers, she also had her sisters Maria, Celina, Leonia and Paulina, the one already mentioned. They all entered the Carmelite convent. The first was Paulina. This made little Tereza ill.

The cure for depression

The early absence of her mother left a gap in Tereza's life, a gap that she tried to fill with the love and care of her older sister, Paulina, who felt her vocation calling her at an early age. When she went to Carmel to follow that call, the pain of her mother's loss was added to her sister's departure, and Tereza suffered.

The little girl began to lose the taste and sense of living until she ended up in bed. When she was very weak, she looked at the image of Our Lady of the Conception, and what she saw changed her life. The saint was smiling at her. Such a vision renewed her strength and the girl felt that she also had a vocation to serve in the Carmelite convent.

The Sanctity of Saint Therese of the Roses

Until then, the holiness of the heroes and heroines of the faith was seen only in great miracles, sacrifices and works. Terezinha, as a faithful disciple, followed their steps with satisfaction. However, her great contribution to the repertoire of what holiness is was in the little things.

In her manuscripts, published in the book History of a Soul, she revealed that love is what potentiates the sacred in works. Everything that is done with the noblest of feelings has the power to consecrate such an act. As the apostle Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians, in chapter 13-3:

[...] even if I were to distribute all my fortune for the support of the poor, and even if I were to give my body to be burned, and had no love, none of this would profit me.

The elevator analogy

Since the Ancient Egypt there are records of the use of elevators to raise the waters of the Nile River. The traction used was animal and human. Only in 1853 the passenger elevator was created by the entrepreneur Elisha Graves Otis. In other words, its development and popularity were contemporary to the short passage of Santa Terezinha through our planet.

According to Terezinha, on her own she would be incapable of reaching any level of the spiritual life. Jesus is the one who elevates her to sanctity, as the elevator does with people. All she could do was to give herself with love and devotion.

Love at the heart of the Church

The missions had a special place in Saint Terezinha's admiration. Even more so when it was a matter of taking missionaries to more distant and different places. Nevertheless, she had her feet on the ground, and she was always very conscious of her vocation in Carmel.

With this she realized that there is an important place, an essential place when it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ: love. The constant practice of love, for everything and everyone, especially for missionaries, made her say: "In the heart of the Church, I will be love!" Thus, dedicating her works and prayers to the mission, without ever leaving Carmel, she became the patroness of missionaries.

The Legacy of Saint Therese of the Roses

In 1897 tuberculosis took the young Tereza from this plane at the age of 24. Earlier, her sister Paulina had asked her to write her memoirs. In all there were three manuscripts. Later Paulina grouped them together, added other letters and writings of her sister and released them as a book under the title Story of a Soul.

Narrating facts from his childhood, the work is characterized by teaching the theology of the "little way", a theology marked by simplicity as a path to holiness. In this sense, love is the main ingredient that brings us closer to the divine. The most banal of everyday things can rise to heaven, provided it is done with love.

Missionary without ever leaving Carmel

At the age of 14, the girl Tereza, moved by the strength of her call and personality, was determined to enter the convent of Carmel. However, because of her young age, the rules of the Church did not allow it. It was on a trip to Italy, that she had the audacity to personally ask Pope Leo XIII. In 1888, as permission was granted, she entered Carmel.

Under the name of Tereza of the Child Jesus, she would spend the rest of her years in the convent with her heart burning with love for the missions. And for Tereza what really mattered was love. She understood that this was the reason for preaching the gospel and keeping the church alive. Thus, her mission was to love, and to love unconditionally.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, Saint of Roses

Saint Terezinha always had a special feeling for roses. For her all the magnitude of divine power was synthesized in the simplicity of a rose. The petals of the flower were one of her favorite tools to show her faith. She used to throw them at the foot of the cross in the courtyard of Carmel and when the Blessed Sacrament was passing by.

Before she died, she would have said that she would rain rose petals over the whole world. Something she did not say in a literal way. What she meant was that she would always be interceding to God for all the people of the planet.

Death of Saint Therese of the Roses

For a period of three years, tuberculosis caused Santa Terezinha das Rosas intense suffering. It was at that time that her sister Paulina, realizing how serious it was, asked her to write down her memoirs.

On September 30, 1897, at the age of 24, Terezinha of the Child Jesus died. Before leaving her last words were: "I do not regret having given myself to love". Fixing her eyes on the crucifix she said: "My God, I love you".

Symbolism in the image of Santa Terezinha of the Roses

In spirituality everything is a symbol, a sign or a form of communication of the divine. With the images of saints and, obviously, the image of Saint Terezinha, it would be no different. Each object and ornament is allocated with the purpose of communicating an aspect of the saint. See below what the image says about Saint Terezinha of the Roses.

The crucifix of Saint Therese of the Roses

In the image of Saint Terezinha of the Roses, she appears holding a crucifix. The cross, coming from the Christian tradition, has its meaning related to suffering and sacrifice. So, when it appears in the hands of a person like Terezinha of the Child Jesus, it is representing her suffering.

The girl lost her mother very early, and then the person she had as her second mother left her and went to follow her vocation. Terezinha was always very sensitive and had a weak health. Therefore, her life was marked by pain and suffering. Besides the special affection for the image of the cross, it is the proper object to symbolize the saint.

The Roses of Saint Therese of the Roses

Before dying, Saint Therese promised that she would make "a shower of rose petals fall all over the world". What she meant was that she would be in constant intercession for all the people of the world. Since for her the roses represented a sample of God's blessings.

She used to throw petals in the passage of the Blessed Sacrament and at the foot of the crucifix in the courtyard of the Carmel convent. In Saint Terezinha's novena, winning the flower is a sign that her prayer will be answered. Therefore, nothing more fitting than roses in her image.

The Veil of Saint Therese of the Roses

Representing her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, Saint Terezinha appears in the image with her head covered by a black veil. It was in the Carmelite convent where she took those vows, and where she served the church from the age of 14 until her death at 24.

In the adornment, there is also the symbol of her marriage and total surrender to Jesus Christ. Not only in the vows, this surrender is projected in her constant prayer and love for the missions. A fact that made her the patroness of the missions without ever having left the convent.

The Habit of Saint Therese of the Roses

The image of Saint Terezinha shows her wearing a brown habit. This color vestment is used in the Carmelite Order. It symbolizes her vow of poverty and faith in Jesus Christ. Thus, giving up the race in the conquest of material goods, she has more energy to dedicate to the spiritual life.

For the Carmelites brown also represents the color of the earth and the cross. A symbol that reminds the faithful of their own cross and humility. It is also worth noting that the word "humility" has its origin in "humus", that is, earth. Just another reminder, that of "we are dust and to dust we shall return".

Devotion to Saint Therese of the Roses

The life of Saint Terezinha leads us to a devotion to love, to love oneself, to love one's neighbour and to love God. There is no expression of her sanctity that does not refer us to that noble feeling. Live love. Read on and get in touch with Saint Terezinha of the Roses through her miracle, her day and her prayer.

The miracle of Saint Therese of the Roses

The first miracle of Saint Therese of the Roses to be recognized by the Vatican happened in 1906. The seminarian Charles Anne had been stricken with tuberculosis one year before. After a while fighting the disease, the doctor found that his condition was very serious.

When tuberculosis advanced to its last stage, he used to make a novena to Our Lady of Lourdes. However, Saint Therese came to his mind and he decided to include a supplication to her.

Then he began a second novena dedicated to Saint Terezinha, where he promised to publish the miracle if it cured him. The next day the fever broke, his physical condition recovered and Charles Anne was cured. Curiously enough, the Saint prevented him from dying of the same disease that killed Terezinha.

Novena of Saint Therese of the Roses

It was in 1925, that a Jesuit priest, Antonio Putingan, started to pray a novena to Saint Terezinha of the Child Jesus. He repeated 24 times "Glory to the Father...", in reference to Saint Terezinha's 24 years.

She asked for a grace, and the proof that it would be granted was that she would receive a rose. Then, on the third day of the novena, she received a red rose from a young woman. The curious fact is that it was winter and it was snowing, that is, it was not the season for flowers.

A second novena was made and this time he asked for a white rose as a proof that his prayer would be answered. This time, on the fourth day, Sister Vitalis gave him the flower saying that it was a gift from Saint Terezinha.

From then on, Father Putingan started to organize the novena between the 9th and 17th of each month. Whoever receives a rose has his or her request answered.

The day of Saint Therese of the Roses

The day of Saint Terezinha is celebrated on October 1st. The date is celebrated with masses, novenas and processions in honor of the Saint. Some places hold a feast where the women called Tereza (or Teresa) receive some kind of treat for bearing the name of the Saint.

Prayer of Saint Therese of the Roses

O Saint Terezinha, white and sweet flower of Jesus and Mary, who embalm Carmel and the whole world with your sweet perfume, call us and we shall run with you to meet Jesus, through the way of renunciation, abandonment and love.

Make us simple and docile, humble and trusting for our Father in heaven. Do not allow us to offend him with sin.

Help us in all dangers and needs; help us in all afflictions and obtain for us all spiritual and temporal graces, especially the grace we are now in need of, (make request).

Remember, O Saint Terezinha, that you promised to spend your heaven doing good on earth, without rest, until you see the number of the elect complete.

Fulfill in us your promise: be our guardian angel in the passage of this life and do not rest until you see us in heaven, at your side, counting the tenderness of the merciful love of the Heart of Jesus. Amen.

What is the importance of Santa Terezinha of the Roses?

In 1925, Pope Pius XI declared that Saint Therese was the greatest saint of modern times. However, he had no idea how current the echoes of his declaration would make her almost one hundred years later. Even today, what she represented is of utmost importance for a fuller and higher life.

Her holiness of the "little way" teaches us to approach the divine in the simplicity of the little things of everyday life. In the act of picking up a pin from the ground, or of gathering a rose. To embrace eternity in the course of a minute well lived, and lived with love. For this, according to Saint Terezinha, is the main factor of God's grace.

Nowadays, the "professional winners" populate the internet with magic formulas on how to reach the top of the world. In this scenario, there seems to be room only for achievements that accumulate numbers, whether on social networks, or in the bank account. Contemplating the simplicity of everyday beauty runs the risk of taking the fashionable curse: procrastination.

It's also about knowing and recognizing your limits. So, seeking ways to put your love into what is within your reach, with peace and lightness in your heart. Without blaming yourself, and punishing yourself for not accomplishing much more. Saint Therese of the Roses is about the application of love, but this practice only works if it begins with self-application.