“Everyone thus realizes that today something surprising is happening…”

In 1997, on October 19th, Pope John Paul II declared St. Thérèse of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church! 

On this day 23 years ago, Pope John Paul II said:

“Thérèse Martin, a discalced Carmelite of Lisieux, ardently desired to be a missionary. She was one, to the point that she could be proclaimed patroness of the missions. Jesus himself showed her how she could live this vocation: by fully practicing the commandment of love, she would be immersed in the very heart of the Church’s mission, supporting those who proclaim the Gospel with the mysterious power of prayer and communion.

This is why I chose this missionary Sunday to proclaim St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face a doctor of the universal Church: a woman, a young person, a contemplative.

Everyone thus realizes that today something surprising is happening. St Thérèse of Lisieux was unable to attend a university or engage in a systematic study. She died young: nevertheless, from this day forward she will be honored as a doctor of the Church, an outstanding recognition which raises her in the esteem of the entire Christian community far beyond any academic title.

Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is the youngest of all the “doctors of the Church”, but her ardent spiritual journey shows such maturity, and the insights of faith expressed in her writings are so vast and profound that they deserve a place among the great spiritual masters.

Thérèse of Lisieux did not only grasp and describe the profound truth of Love as the center and heart of the Church but in her short life, she lived it intensely. It is precisely this convergence of doctrine and concrete experience, of truth and life, of teaching and practice, which shines with particular brightness in this saint, and which makes her an attractive model especially for young people and for those who are seeking true meaning for their life.

PROCLAMATION OF ST THÉRÈSE OF THE CHILD JESUS AND THE HOLY FACE AS A “DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH”
HOMILY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II on October 19, 1997

St. Thérèse of Lisieux is still the youngest Doctor of the Church, one of only 36 saints who have been elevated to this high honor. Throughout the rest of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II never again declared another Doctor of the Church beyond the young French girl who only lived 24 years on earth.

In addition to his homily on October 19th, Pope John Paul II wrote an Apostolic Letter entitled DIVINI AMORIS SCIENTIA where he reflected further on St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her incredible impact on the Church.

He wrote:

Some circumstances contribute to making her designation as a Teacher for the Church of our time even more significant.

First of all, Thérèse is a woman, who in approaching the Gospel knew how to grasp its hidden wealth with that practicality and deep resonance of life and wisdom which belong to the feminine genius. Because of her universality, she stands out among the multitude of holy women who are resplendent for their Gospel wisdom.

Thérèse is also a contemplative. In the hiddenness of her Carmel, she lived the great adventure of Christian experience to the point of knowing the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love. God did not want his secrets to remain hidden but enabled Thérèse to proclaim the secrets of the King. By her life Thérèse offers a witness and theological illustration of the beauty of the contemplative life as the total dedication to Christ, Spouse of the Church, and as an affirmation of God’s primacy over all things. Hers is a hidden life that possesses a mysterious fruitfulness for spreading the Gospel and fills the Church and the world with the sweet odor of Christ.

Lastly, Thérèse of Lisieux is a young person. She reached the maturity of holiness in the prime of youth. As such, she appears as a Teacher of evangelical life, particularly effective in illumining the paths of young people, who must be the leaders and witnesses of the Gospel to the new generations.

Thérèse of the Child Jesus is not only the youngest Doctor of the Church but is also the closest to us in time as if to emphasize the continuity with which the Spirit of the Lord sends his messengers to the Church, men and women as teachers and witnesses to the faith. In fact, whatever changes can be noted in the course of history and despite the repercussions, they usually have on the life and thought of individuals in every age, we must never lose sight of the continuity which links the Doctors of the Church to each other: in every historical context, they remain witnesses to the unchanging Gospel and, with the light and strength that come from the Holy Spirit, they become its messengers, returning to proclaim it in its purity to their contemporaries. Thérèse is a Teacher for our time, which thirsts for living and essential words, for heroic and credible acts of witness.

APOSTOLIC LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II
DIVINI AMORIS SCIENTIA
SAINT THÉRÈSE OF THE CHILD JESUS AND THE HOLY FACE IS PROCLAIMED A DOCTOR OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

Less than 20 years after this Apostolic Letter, on April 27, 2014, Pope John Paul II was declared a saint.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us!

Pope St. John Paul II, pray for us!