She was born in 1873 at
Alencon in Southern Normandy, one of several children of Louis Martin and his wife. Her
mother's death in 1877 caused the family to move to Lisieux, where their aunt was living.
The Martin sisters were all to enter the Carmelite convent at Lisieux. Teresa did nothing
spectacular in the convent; indeed the possibility of moving with others to the foundation
of the Carmel at Hanoi in Vietnam was prevented by the onset of the tuberculosis which was
to kill her. On the contrary, she is known for her 'Little Way' - the faithful following
of the Carmelite rule in the spirit of a continuous search for the gift of charity. She
died in 1897 aged only 24, and would probably have remained unknown were it not for her
writing, "The Story of a Soul", edited by one of her sisters. The phenomenal
success of this work established it as a kind of 'Fifth Gospel', and indeed that is what
her life can be seen to be: a living Gospel, applying in a spirit of obedient hope - and
in no way trying to whitewash the difficulties of community living - the principles of
Jesus Christ. She was canonised in 1925.
She was born in 1873 at
Alencon in Southern Normandy, one of several children of Louis Martin and his wife. Her
mother's death in 1877 caused the family to move to Lisieux, where their aunt was living.
The Martin sisters were all to enter the Carmelite convent at Lisieux. Teresa did nothing
spectacular in the convent; indeed the possibility of moving with others to the foundation
of the Carmel at Hanoi in Vietnam was prevented by the onset of the tuberculosis which was
to kill her. On the contrary, she is known for her 'Little Way' - the faithful following
of the Carmelite rule in the spirit of a continuous search for the gift of charity. She
died in 1897 aged only 24, and would probably have remained unknown were it not for her
writing, "The Story of a Soul", edited by one of her sisters. The phenomenal
success of this work established it as a kind of 'Fifth Gospel', and indeed that is what
her life can be seen to be: a living Gospel, applying in a spirit of obedient hope - and
in no way trying to whitewash the difficulties of community living - the principles of
Jesus Christ. She was canonised in 1925.