On the occasion of the Centenary Year of the Canonization of Saint Therese, the Sanctuary of Lisieux invites all the faithful who wish to experience in community an initiation journey in 5 episodes in the footsteps of Saint Therese and her little path to holiness.

A journey to be experienced in fraternity

Led in the parish or at home, in small groups of 6 people maximum each, this course offers the faithful who wish to organize 5 fraternal meetings, each comprising a video overview et an exchange proposal from texts and questions.

Under the guidance of a priest, a deacon or a lay person in charge of organizing the route and forming the groups, each community sets the schedule and frequency of these meetings.

Typical meeting schedule (1h30)

  • An introductory time to get to know each other, share a joy or a trial entrusted to a common prayer. It is about placing the meeting under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by a song or an Our Father (5 min)
  • A brief presentation of the theme and the issue of the session, as well as the organizer's outline for the first meeting (3 mins)
  • Broadcasting the topo in video in good projection conditions: online for all on our YouTube channel or by USB key on demand (reserved for parishes) (20 to 30 mins depending on the video)
  • Exchanges in fraternity(ies) from a sheet specific to the session (to download, print and give to each participant – see below) which includes extracts from Saint Therese, proposes questions to encourage sharing and suggests additional reading after the session (45 mins)
  • A time for recap in the form of a brief round table discussion on what particularly struck each participant (15 mins)
  • A concluding time of prayer (To Saint Therese and to the Virgin Mary)

A journey in 5 episodes

All the references to the writings of Saint Therese mentioned on the accompanying sheets are available on the website of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux: Access to the archives of the Carmel of Lisieux

Episode 1: A Life of Trials and Graces

From childhood in Carmel, Thérèse was marked by a life of love in a very pious family, between Alençon and Lisieux, but also by painful trials through which many graces were deployed. How can I recognize God's will in the ordinary and unexpected in my life?

With Laurence Panontin, head of guides at the Lisieux Sanctuary

Download the “Episode 1” support sheet

Episode 2: At the school of the writings of Saint Therese

Letters, poems, autobiographical manuscripts, last interviews…: in what circumstances did Thérèse write her memories, prayers and testimonies of a life inhabited by Jesus? How can we read Thérèse to find the keys to a true pedagogy of God's merciful love?

With Hélène Mongin, author and editor

Download the “Episode” support sheet 2"

Episode 3: Exile and the Homeland of Heaven

A theme that often comes up in Thérèse: we are in exile on earth and Heaven is the true homeland towards which we sail, from one shore to the other, aboard a boat where Jesus sleeps… How do I live to desire the Kingdom of God and prepare for it today?

With Father Emmanuel Schwab, rector of the Sanctuary of Lisieux

Download the “Episode” support sheet 3"

Episode 4: Can the Little Way Lead to Holiness?

Where does this little path of spiritual childhood, the true “trademark” of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, come from? Why “little”? How can I put it into practice in my life? Can it help me desire, like Therese, holiness?

With Father Loys de Saint-Chamas, chaplain at the Sanctuary of Lisieux

Download the “Episode” support sheet 4"

Episode 5: The Spiritual Fertility of a Cloistered Missionary

Thérèse made two promises: “to spend her heaven doing good on earth” and “to make a rain of roses fall.” How did the popularity of Saint Thérèse, canonized less than 30 years after her death, spread throughout the world in a “hurricane of glory”? And how does the missionary influence of a cloistered Carmelite invite me today to assume my place in the Church?

With Camille Burette, archivist of the Carmel of Lisieux

Download the “Episode” support sheet 5"

Support us

Did you like this course?

The Shrine of Lisieux makes it available to all free of charge, but its creation and distribution have a cost. To help the Shrine continue to make Saint Therese and her message known to as many people as possible, in a true missionary spirit, make a donation!

You can make a free donation online on don.therese-de-lisieux.com/sanctuairedelisieux or by check payable to “Direction du pèlerinage” to be sent to the Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux Sanctuary / Donations Service – CS 62095 – 31 rue du Carmel 14102 Lisieux.

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Thank you in advance for your support!

Contact us

For any assistance regarding this course, write to: olivier.valentin@therese-de-lisieux.com