L’histoire d’une ame (Story of A Soul):

An Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Contents
Contents
Introduction
Introduction

Who
Whowas
wasSt.
St.Thérèse?
Thérèse?
Social
Social
Story
Storyof
ofaaSoul
Soul

Cultural
Cultural

Ecclesial
Ecclesial
 The Three Manuscripts

Manuscript A: A Family Souvenir

Addressed to Mother Agnes of Jesus

Manuscript B: A Souvenir Exclusively

for Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart

Manuscript C: A Document to Supply

Information For composing a
Circular after Thérèse’s death,
Addressed to Mother Marie de Gonzague
The Little Way

Evaluation

Conclusion

Bibliography
 Born:
Born: 22
22 August
August 1823,
1823,
Bordeaux,
Bordeaux, Gironde,
Gironde, France
France

Occupation:
Occupation: Watchmaker,
Watchmaker,
lacemaker
lacemaker

Died:
Died: 29
29 July
July 1894,
1894,
Arnières-sur-Iton,
Arnières-sur-Iton, Eure,
Eure,
France
France

Beatified:
Beatified: 19
19 October
October 2008,
2008,
Basilique
Basilique de
de Sainte-Thérèse
Sainte-Thérèse by
by
Pope
Pope Benedict
Benedict XVI
XVI
 Born: 23 December 1831,
Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon,
Orne, France.

Occupation: lacemaker

Died: 28 August 1877,

Alençon, Orne, France

Beatified: 19 October 2008,

Basilique de Sainte-Thérèse
by Pope Benedict XVI
Married on: July 13, 1858
 Although the couple lived as brother and
sister for ten months after their wedding,
they decided to have children. They would
later have nine children, though only five
daughters would survive infancy:
Marie Martin is the oldest of the siblings.

She was born on February 22, 1860.

The second to enter Carmel on October

15, 1886, and took the name Marie of the
Sacred heart, Therese was just only 14
years old.

She died on January 19, 1940

 Pauline was the first to enter Carmel, an order of
contemplative nuns, at Lisieux. And took the name
Mother Agnes of Jesus. Thérèse began to be drawn
in the same direction. Thérèse considered her as her
second mother after the death of their mother. The
first manuscript was dedicated to her as a family
souvenir.

She was born on September 7, 1861.

Became a Carmelite on October 2, 1882.
Died on July 28, 1951.
 Born: June 3, 1863
Became a Visitandine:
January 28, 1899.
Died: June 16, 1941
Celin Martin was born on April
28, 1869.
She became a Carmelite on
September 14, 1894 , and took
the name Sister Genevieve of
the Holy Face.
She was the last sister of
Therese to enter Carmel after
the death of their father.
She died on February 14, 1959.
 “I MIEI GIORNI DI GRAZIA" Morta a Lisieux, in
Nato a Alencon, in Francia il 2 gennaio 1873 Francia il 30
Settembre, 1897
Battezzato il 4 gennaio 1873
Canonizzata da Papa Pius
Sorriso della Madonna e guarigione miracolosa: XI: 17 Maggio 1925
10 Maggio 1883
Prima Comunione: 8 Maggio 18884 Teresa di Gesù Bambino è
Cresima: 14 Giugno 1884 proclamata da Pio XI
Patrona principale, con
Grazia di Natale: 25 Dicembre 1886 Francesco Saverio, di tutte
Udienza da Papa Leo XIII: 20 Novembre 1887 le Missioni cattoliche: 14
Dicembre 1927
Entra nel Carmelo: 9 Aprile 1888

Vestizione Religiosa: 10 Gennaio, 1889

Proclamata da Giovanni
Professione Religiosa: 8 Settembre 1890
Paolo II Dottore della
Chiesa: 19 Ottobre 1997
Prende il velo di carme-litana: 24 Settembre 1890

Atto di oblazione: 9 Giugno 1895

 Original Title: L’histoire d’une ame

Inspired by the first words of Therese when she began her writing:
“It is to you dear Mother, to you who are doubly my Mother, that I
come to confide the story of soul” (Ms A, 2r)

Genre: Autobiography

“Mon histoirien” and the first editor: Mother Agnes of Jesus

First Edition Published: September 30, 1898
 The first edition read beautifully because of Mother Agnes’
masterly work of editing. It also appeared as a composite
whole that contained the intimate outpourings of Sister
Therese’s soul to her Mother Prioress, Marie de Gonzague.
The subsequent editions retained this format until the
Diocesan Process held in 1910. The judges on this tribunal,
on hearing about Mother Marie’s directive (to Mother Agnes
that all three manuscripts are publish in one condition i.e all
must be rearranged in such a way as to seem to be
addressed to herself), insisted that all future editions
indicate clearly the individual direction of each of the
manuscripts, namely, to Mother Agnes of Jesus, to Sister Marie of
the Sacred Heart, and finally to Mother Marie de Gonzague
 The Three Manuscripts
1895 1896 1897
Mother Agnes of Sister Marie of the Mother Marie
Jesus Sacred Heart de Gonzague

A family Souvenir of To supply her

souvenir, destined Thérèse’s last with information
exclusively for retreat to Sister for composing a
her sisters Marie circular after
Thérèse’s death
Thérèse’s Religious
Childhood Little life of
Memories Doctrine Thérèse
It is an image that tries to capture her understanding of being a disciple of
Jesus Christ, of seeking holiness of life in the ordinary and the everyday

St Therese based “her little way” on two fundamental convictions:

(1) God shows love by mercy and forgiveness, and

(2) she could not be “perfect” in following the Lord.

St Therese knew from her life that God is merciful love; many scripture
passages in the Old and New Testaments bore out that truth. She loved the
maternal images for God in the Old Testament and the love of God for us in
Jesus Christ. In fact, St Therese once wrote that she could not understand how
anyone could be afraid of a God who became a child. She also knew that
she would never be perfect. Therefore, she went to God as a child
approaches a parent . . . with open arms and a profound
trust/confidence
 When Thérèse wrote Manuscript C, she showed to us what her little way
was meant all about. First she wrote about the great saints like Teresa of
Avila and then said "Alas! I have always noticed that when I compared myself
to the saints, there is between them and me the same difference that exists
between a mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and the obscure grain
of sand trampled underfoot by the passers-by. Instead of becoming
discouraged," she wrote, "...I must bear with myself such as I am with all my
imperfections. But I want to seek out a means of going to heaven by a
little way, a way that is very straight, very short, and totally new....I am too
small to climb the rough stairway of perfection.”

Thérèse referred directly to Teresa and then used two metaphors

(the mountain, and the stairway of perfection) that deftly combined references
to John of the Cross and his Ascent of Mount Carmel and Teresa's Way of
Perfection. The work she was trying to do in this text was to articulate a
spirituality as profound as that of the Carmelite founders, but
much more easily accessible!
 As she wrote in her text, "We are living
now in an age of inventions, and we no
longer have to take the trouble of climbing
stairs, for, in the homes of the rich, an
elevator has replaced these very
successfully. I wanted to find an
elevator which would raise me to
Jesus." This is another metaphor for her
little way, and looking closely to her life,
she indeed used this elevator;
“Your arms O Jesus!”
 Story of a Soul does not give us a
scholarly presentation of spirituality.
Nor a revelation of a new kind of
sanctity, but merely a new way of
presenting sanctity to us which is
the interior core of our search for
God in a living, accessible
language that stands in harmony
with the Church's most authentic
tradition rooted in biblical insights.