Course Title: St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Professor: Fr. Joseph Spence, FFm

Justification: “The whole world will love me”, Thérèse once said. This course is based on the conviction that Thérèse (1873-1897), the youngest Doctor of the Church, has still much to teach us. As St. John Paul II said: “Thérèse of Lisieux is held up as an eminent model and guide on the path of Christians, as we approach the third millennium”.

Goals: Provide an initial knowledge of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, with a special attention given to first-hand contact with her writings; stimulate interest in the students for Thérèse; offer a method for the critical analysis of theological texts, in particular those of Thérèse.

Content: The content of the course will focus on six major themes that permeate Thérèse’s experience and writings: her “Little Way”; the Most Holy Trinity and Thérèse; Jesus as Spouse and Thérèse; the Blessed Virgin Mary and spiritual maternity in Thérèse; fraternal charity in Thérèse; the “Passion” of Thérèse. Various chosen texts of Thérèse will also be read and discussed together.

Method: All the lessons will be held live, on Zoom. In the first hour of our lessons, I will give a lecture for 30 minutes on one of the themes mentioned above; the lecture will be followed by 15 minutes of discussion and dialogue with the students. In the second hour, I will dedicate 15 minutes to the explanation of Thérèse’s writings (Manuscripts A,B,C, Letters, Poems, Plays, Prayers, Last Conversations); for the remaining 30 minutes, we will read together and discuss some selected texts of Thérèse.

Criteria for evaluation: The choice will be given to the students regarding the examination modality: the students may either write an essay (from 4-6 pages in length), or otherwise they may sustain an oral exam (lasting from 10-15 minutes).

Time distribution: The time distribution of studies will be the following: 12 hours of lessons on “Zoom”; about 12 hours of personal reading; about 12 hours for the preparation of the essay or of the oral exam, for a total of about 36 hours of study.

Essential bibliography (articles and other materials will be supplied on the Moodle Platform)

• Gaucher, G., Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: The Story of a Life, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA 2020².
• Official Site of the Carmel of Lisieux Archives (translation available in English): https://www.archives-carmel-lisieux.fr/english/carmel/
• O’Mahony, C., St. Thérèse of Lisieux by those who knew her. Testimonies from the Process of Beatification, Veritas Publications 1989.
• Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, Story of a Soul: Study Edition; Letters of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. General Correspondence, Volume I (1877-1890) and Volume II (1890-1897); The Poetry of St. Thérèse of Lisieux; The Plays of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. “Pious Recreations”; The Prayers of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The Act of Oblation; Her Last Conversations, (M. Foley – J. Clarke et al.), ICS Publications, Washington, D.C. 1977-2014.
• Sister Geneviève of the Holy Face (Céline Martin), My Sister Saint Thérèse, Tan Books 1997.