Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
March 6, 2002
Seminary professor to lecture on St. Thérèse
Saint's `little way' advocates doing the ordinary with extraordinary love
By Alwen Bledsoe
St. Thérèse of Lisieux died of tuberculosis at only 24, nine years after entering the Caremlite order. Her popularity was such that she was canonized only 27 years after her death. Both her life and her spirituality are especially meaningful today, said Anthony Lilles, prefect of studies at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. Lilles will be giving a talk on "The Life and Spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux" as a part of the archdiocese's "Women in the Spirit" Series March 23.
"We've just lived through a century that has seen some of the most horrible suffering every known in human history — the wars and ecological disaster, AIDS, and now we're living with terrorism," Lilles said.
The spirit of St. Thérèse can provide hope in such times, said Lilles, who has a doctorate in spiritual theology.
"The life of St. Thérèse is one that shows us that human suffering can have a redemptive meaning," Lilles explained. "The cross's work of redemption bestows a new meaning on all of human experience, but in a special way bestows a new meaning on the experience of suffering and death. This Gospel message is all the more clear in the life of St. Thérèse."
St. Thérèse became the third woman to be declared a doctor of the Church in 1997. The phrase "doctor of the Church" refers to saints whose writings have had a particularly significant influence on Catholic theology or spirituality.
Though she lived a seemingly ordinary religious life, St. Thérèse was considered so spiritually advanced that her superiors instructed her to write her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul," in 1895. The book is still in print today.
Popularly known as "the little flower," St. Thérèse's "little way," taught a spirituality of the everyday. She advocated doing the ordinary with extraordinary love and child-like trust in God.
"(Her) witness was like a comet shot across the heavens," Lilles said. "She had a short life of only 24 years but attained the very heights of Christian perfection."
The "Women in the Spirit" Series is sponsored by the archdiocesan Respect Life Office and is especially intended for women involved in Respect Life work, Lilles said. His talk will highlight pro-life topics, he added.
"I want to bring out the ways in which the life and death of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her spiritual doctrine reveal the dignity and deeper meaning of human life," he said.
The lecture will be held from 9-10:30 a.m. at the John Paul II Center in Bonfils Hall at 1300 S. Steele St. Cost is $5. Make check payable to the Respect Life Office and send to Respect Life Office at 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210. Reservations must be made by March 21. For more information, call 303-715-3243 or 303-715-3205.
Contact Us
