Theresa and Lisieux

Theresa and Lisieux. Text by Pierre Descouvemont and photographs by Helmuth Nils Loose. Translation by Salvatore Sciurba, O.C.D., and Louise Pambrun. Preface by Guy Gaucher, O.C.D., Auxiliary Bishop of BayeuxLisieux. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: 255 Jefferson Ave. S. E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503, 1996. Pp. 336. Hardback. $60.

Devotees of St. Theresa of Lisieux are always eager for additional details of her life, such as further quotes or newly revealed photographs. This exceptionally beautiful book provides all of these, and more: "For the first time, photographs taken at Carmel by Celine (Sister Genevieve), Theresa's sister, have been faithfully reproduced, from the originals developed by Celine herself (p. 4).

The Preface is by Bishop Guy Gaucher, considered to be an authority on Theresa. The reader will be immediately intrigued as Bishop Gaucher describes the treasures to come:

The Carmel of Lisieux, spared from the Allied bombings of 1944, contained a mass of treasures that would permit us to discern better, even in the most minute details, the reality of this young Carmelite's life in its historical, cultural and religious context. Places that have remained unchanged, objects that have been preserved, handwritten manuscripts that have been kept, books used by Theresa, images made by her, sketches, paintings, statues, the faces of the sisters who were her contemporaries ...objects that surrounded her in the infirmary.... We go from discovery to discovery. (p. 5)

Additional insights enrich the familiar events of Therise's autobiography: a year before the birth of Therese, Madame Martin, while praying before the statue of the Virgin of the Smile, had obtained a "precious grace of serenity" after the death of five-year-old Helene (p. 18); thirteen years later, while praying before that same statue, Therese received her miraculous cure (p. 52).

In 1888, Monsieur Martin had donated an altar for the Saint-Pierre Cathedral and began to realize that an altar required a victim. In May of that same year, while visiting his daughters in Carmel, he informed them that he had offered himself as the victim (p. 147). On Trinity Sunday, June 9, 1895, "Imbued with the thought of St. John of the Cross...that God, the `Living Flame of Love' asks only to inflame the hearts of those who surrender to this fire," Therese "received a blinding insight," and immediately asked permission to offer herself as a "Victim to Merciful Love" (p. 238).

Another item of interest is that

Therese's sister, Pauline, had originally planned to become a Visitandine, like her maternal aunt. While praying before a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, she decided to enter Carmel instead. The statue was temporarily displayed in St. Jacque's Church in honor of the Tercentenary of Teresa of Avila (p. 49). Leonie, another of Therese's sisters, had failed a number of times in her attempt to enter religious life. After the death of Therese, Leonie tried once more and succeeded. The author states, "Of all the Martin sisters, Leonie would perhaps be the one who best assimilated the Little Way" (p. 249).

The influence of France's growing devotion to the Sacred Heart is revealed by Therese's frequent use of that symbol in her artwork, and the Standard of the Sacred Heart was on the door of her cell (p. 120). Scenes from Therese's childhood, and the accompanying text, help to explain how religious objects and the beauty of nature touched her soul and inspired many of her beliefs.

Every morning at mass, Therese saw a bas-relief of the "good thief" (p. 78), saved by his last-minute repentance. This strengthened her conviction that the murderer Pranzini could also be saved. A wax mould reveals the face of Pranzini, and excerpts from a book by the prison chaplain provide additional information about him (p. 79).

Again and again, the human side of Therese is revealed: in the delight she took in wearing the butterfly jewelry Monsieur Martin bought during their trip to Rome (p. 90); the souvenirs she brought back from that trip (p. 88); in her love for her dog, Tom (p. 62); and in many of her letters, especially one in which she gives her candid impression of the aged Pope Leo XIII (p. 91). This passage "was thought best to erase at the time of the process of canonization" (p. 90).

Celine's photographs of her cousin, Marie Guerin (pp. 102-113), taken when Marie was a postulant, and the accompanying schedule of a day in the life of a Carmelite nun, are almost like a guided tour of the cloister. The type and amount of food that was permitted at each meal is described. Although every activity was allotted a specific time, a religious of that day was not permitted to wear a watch (p. 102).

The nuns in Therese's community become distinct personalities as some of their backgrounds are provided. Therese described her novice mistress, Sister Marie of the Angels, as a "true saint, the ideal of the first Carmelites" (p. 115). Because Therese had lost her mother at an early age, and her companion in the novitiate, Sister Marthe of Jesus, at the age of eight had lost her parents, they both struggled to overcome an inordinate attachment to their Prioress (p. 117).