Maurice and Therese

by Patrick Ahern

Hardcover, 1998

Barcode

2107

Call number

282.09

Status

Available

Call number

282.09

Pages

284

Description

As Saint Therese lay dying in the Carmel of Lisieux, she overheard a conversation that amused her. Outside her window, two nuns were discussing what they could write in her obituary that could possibly be of any interest, since the twenty-four-year-old nun had never done anything worth noting. Therese was pleased, for she had always kept a low profile. With the posthumous publication of her spiritual autobiography in 1898, however, that low profile would vanish instantly. She became one of the most beloved saints of all time, and her influence will expand dramatically because of Pope John Paul II's declaration that she is a Doctor of the Church. Amid growing interest in her writings comes the collected correspondence between her and a humble young seminarian, Maurice Belliere. Though they never met in person, they exchanged twenty-one letters that opened a window on the heart of Saint Therese that would have remained forever closed had Maurice not written to the Mother Superior at the convent asking for a nun to pray for him. The Mother Superior chose Therese, and in these conversational letters the Little Flower reveals herself in a way that we would never have known from her autobiography. In his accompanying text, Bishop Patrick Ahern expertly leads the reader into the worlds of Maurice and Therese and reveals the full beauty of this saint's spirituality.… (more)

Publication

Doubleday (1998), Edition: 1, 284 pages

ISBN

0385492618 / 9780385492614

Collection

Rating

½ (20 ratings; 3.8)

User reviews

LibraryThing member stanlicious
As sentimental as the spirituality of the late 19th century, so too is this book. However, this book reveals a deeper truth about the young Carmelite would become a saint. Therese is a woman in love with God. Don't let the simplicity of the story blind you to the deeper truth of this book.
LibraryThing member laudemgloriae
I never liked Saint Therese, until I read this book. Any notion that I had that her spirituality was wishywashy was totally smashed. A study of her correspondence with a struggling seminarian, it really is a crash course in the Little Way. She was dying, and she knew she had to get him to
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understand the love of Jesus, to trust Him, and she does so really well.
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LibraryThing member mehjg
I got this book after the bishop who wrote it preached a great homily at the seminary where I was teaching. It is a good read, particularly for devotees of Therese of Lisieux and for seminarians.

Language

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