A presentation on the Carmelite community at Lisieux in the time of St. Therese by Dr. Thomas Nevin

Dr. Thomas Nevin, author of Therese of Lisieux: God's Gentle Warrior, presents on "The Lives of the Carmelites in 19th-Century France," focusing on the community of the Carmelite monastery at Lisieux in the time of St. Therese.  This illustrated lecture is part of "Women's Lives Yesterday and Today," the inaugural lecture series of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at John Carroll University.  Dr. Nevin, who is steeped in archival research about St. Therese and her surroundings, shares many previously unknown facts about the backgrounds and lives of the women who lived with St. Therese.

"Therese superstar," a superb documentary by Remi Mauger about the "phenomenon" of Therese, is now online

 The fascinating documentary Therese superstar, made for French television in 1997 by Remi Mauger, an award-winning filmmaker, examines the phenomenon of Therese from her death in 1897 until the present day.  Archival-quality documents and images blend with interviews with historians, sociologists, and others.  All the audio is, of course, in French, but it's easy to follow the visuals even if you don't understand French.  You can see the first edition of "Story of a Soul' and related correspondence; the handwritten imprimatur of Bishop Hugonin in 1898; many images of Therese's influence among the soldiers in World War I; the progress of her cause; rare film footage of the ceremony of her beatification in 1923; and other treasures.  This film plays better at its host site, so please click here to see it. 60 minutes long.  [Update in 2019: I regret that this documentary is no longer online].

The film "Leonie!" about the sister of St. Thérèse of Lisieux is now available on DVD

To purchase, click on the image

 The film "Leonie!," a feature film about the life of Léonie Martin, the sister of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, is now available for purchase as a DVD.  This 90-minute feature film was produced by Holy Trinity Productionsin Michigan as a labor of love.  It was filmed in the Midwest, and the scenes at the Visitation were shot in the Visitation Monastery of Toledo.  The energy of the young American actresses and actors may appeal particularly to children and young people.  "Leonie!" is not a documentary; it does not explore in depth Léonie's spirituality or her correspondence with Thérèse.  This film depicts with care the events of Léonie's life: her unhappy childhood, her three unsuccessful attempts at religious life, and her life at the Monastery of the Visitation of Caen, where she entered definitively in 1899 and died in 1941; her testimony at the inquiries for her sister's cause, and her reunion with her three Carmelite sisters when she testified at Lisieux for Therese's canonization. It enacts many amusing incidents from her life in the Visitation community at Caen.

• To purchase the DVD, click on the image above or click here.  It's distributed by Ignatius Press and is presently sold online in the United States and Canada. 
• View a three-minute trailer of "Leonie!"
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• Learn more about the genesis and production of "Leonie!"
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• Learn more about the real life of Léonie Martin, who did not fit into her family, was expelled from school, and, at first, could not succeed in religious life. See a photo gallery of Léonie and her milieu and read the illustrated English translation of the "life of Léonie" circulated by her monastery at her death.
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Léonie was one of the first disciples of Thérèse's way of confidence and love.  A nun of the Visitation at Caen told me in 2008 that Léonie's superior, whom she knew, reported that Léonie was always so happy and at peace that it was almost impossible to believe that her early life had been so hard.  Léonie is very much loved by many people; her monastery receives many letters recounting the graces she obtains from God for those who seek her intercession.  She appeals especially to those who have been deeply wounded, to special children and their parents, and to those who, like her, struggle to find their place in the world.  Many pilgrims visit Caen to pray at her tomb.  I hope that the long-awaited distribution of the film Leonie! will stimulate viewers to learn more about Léonie's life and spirituality and will cause Veritas Press to reprintLéonie Martin, A Difficult Life.  The book is unfortunately out of print, butused copies are now available online. 

Photographs of all the pieces of the Carmelite habit worn in the time of St. Therese of Lisieux

The habit of St. Therese.  Photo by Juan Marrero. All rights reserved.

See photographs of the various pieces of the Carmelite habit worn in the time of St. Therese, "a complex assemblage of various pieces under the robe and the scapular."  Therese had to put on at least twelve garments before she was fully dressed for choir, and the whole outfit was held together with pins, not with buttons.  Thanks to the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux for giving us this glimpse into a dimension of Therese's everyday life.

The account book of Blessed Louis Martin, 1845-1847

 The Web site of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux recently posted photographs and an English translation of a small account book kept by Blessed Louis Martin from 1845-1847.  The Archives site remarks:

 What do we learn from this list of Louis Martin’s bookkeeping, a 22 year old bachelor? His usual expenses for clothing summer and winter. When the feasts of Christmas and New Year’s arrive, he thought of presents. He also had his father and helped him sometimes. A remarkable fact, he bought school books to learn Latin. He also planned to start learning Greek; every month he regularly paid for lessons with a tutor. In vain because it ended 18 months later with the resale of the dictionary and seemingly by the end of classes. The young Martin would never be a priest but father of a family. And skilled at doing his accounts and making the couple’s money grow.

View the photographs of Louis's handwritten entries and the English translation of the entries.