St. Therese of Lisieux - Books

The Hidden Face: A Study of Therese of Lisieux

Ida Friederike Goerres This study of the life and character of Therese of Lisieux is a remarkable, penetrating, and fascinating search for the truth behind one of the most astounding religious figures of modern times. A young nun who entered a convent at fifteen and died at twenty-four, Thorase roused an incredible storm of spontaneous veneration only a few months after her death, and has been called by one Pope as “the greatest saint of the modern times.� Countless images of the sweetly smiling saint flooded the world. But who was she, really? The Hidden Face has sprung from this question. It presents the true Therese, as objectively as possible, and gives a convincing interpretation of her sainthood. It is a book not for Catholics alone, but for anyone fascinated by the force of spirituality, by the incalculable effects of what Pascal called the “greatness of the human soul.� It opens the cloistered world of the Carmel, takes off the sugar coating, and reveals the stark drama behind convent walls, the tension between personalities, the daily details of conventual life. And it throws light on the tremendous purifying process that turned the pampered darling into a saint of heroic virtue. The work of a mind of rare intelligence and integrity, this book is unique among the lives of saints. First published in Germany in 1944, the original is now in its eighth edition. This first English translation is based on a new, revised version using the latest edition of the saint's writings. Ida Friederike Goerres is the author of several outstanding works on sanctity including The Nature of Sanctity and The Cloister and the World. The Hidden Face is considered her most important work.

Prayer: Insights from St. Therese of Lisieux

Insights from St. Therese of Lisieux Christopher O'Donnell, O.Carm. Though all who write or speak about St. Therese are conscious of her prayer, there is as yet no full-length study of the topic. Prayer: Insights from St. Therese of Lisieux seeks to present the thought of St. Therese on prayer against a double background of Carmelite spirituality and her life as a nun in the Lisieux Carmel. Christopher O'Donnell, an Irish Carmelite theologian and author of the well-received Love in the Heart of the Church: The Mission of St. Therese (Veritas, 1997), deals first with the Carmelite background of her prayer and the prayer-life of her convent, and then addresses her thoughts on the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours, mental and vocal prayer, and the prayers that she composed. The book concludes with a consideration of St. Therese's role as a guide of prayer for today's Church. Christopher O'Donnell (O.Carm) was ordained in 1963 and is a senior lecturer in systematic theology at the Milltown Institute in Dublin. He has lectured extensively in Britain, Italy, USA, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. He is the author of several books including Love in the Heart of the Church: The Mission of St. Therese. Softcover

St. Therese of Lisieux

By Those Who Knew Her Christopher O'Mahoney This book presents what those who knew St. Thorase said about her when the first steps were taken toward her canonization. Her sisters, a maid, a school friend, her novice mistress, her novices and others provide inspiring insights into this great saint's character. Softcover