Pope Francis Honors St. Thérèse with Apostolic Exhortation
On June 7, 2023, Pope Francis shared in his General Audience, “Missionaries, in fact — of whom Thérèse is patroness — are not only those who travel long distances, learn new languages, do good works, and are good at proclamation; no, a missionary is also anyone who lives as an instrument of God’s love where they are.”
This October 15th marks one year since Pope Francis released the Apostolic Exhortation C’est la Confiance, honoring St. Thérèse of Lisieux as a Doctor of the Church. In the document, the Pope underscores her “little way” of trust and love, presenting it as a universal path to holiness.
Though St. Thérèse had a deep desire to be a missionary, she never left her Carmelite convent. However, since 1994, her relics have journeyed to nearly 70 countries, spreading her profound message of love and trust across the globe.
St. Thérèse’s Missionary Vision: A Love for Jesus that Embraces the World
Professor François-Marie Léthel, an expert on St. Thérèse and professor at the Pontifical Institute of Spirituality Teresianum, explains: “In Thérèse of Lisieux, evangelization is not just a mission; it’s her love for Jesus, which, as the Pope quotes, is her entire mission: ‘To love Jesus and to make Him loved.’ This love movement toward Jesus embraces the entire world. Thérèse’s missionary vision encompasses the entirety of humanity, excluding no one.”
Pope Francis highlights how this young saint, whose life and writings centered on love and holiness through the “little way,” teaches that, while all Church teachings and rules are important, some are more foundational for the Christian life. Thérèse’s emphasis on love and trust is at the core of the Gospel message.
Professor Léthel also points out that missionary activities and evangelization are inseparable from St. Thérèse: “Pope Francis has often insisted on true evangelization, as he already mentioned in Evangelii Gaudium, which is done not through proselytism but through attraction. Thérèse of Lisieux is an example of this.”
The Power of Hidden Evangelization
In his General Audience, Pope Francis further noted, “She is patroness of the missions, but she never went on mission. How do we explain this? She was a Carmelite nun who lived her life according to the way of littleness and weakness: she defined herself as ‘a small grain of sand.’”
The Pope explained that Thérèse was a “spiritual sister” to missionaries, supporting them through letters, prayers, and continuous sacrifices from her monastery. “Without being visible, she interceded for the missions, like an engine that, although hidden, gives a vehicle the power to move forward,” said the Pope.
Trust as the Heart of St. Thérèse’s Spirituality
Pope Francis’s C’est la Confiance takes its title from a quote in one of St. Thérèse’s letters: “It is trust and nothing but trust that must lead us to Love.” In her autobiography Story of a Soul, St. Thérèse describes her “little way” of holiness, which emphasized trusting God in all things and her desire to spend heaven “doing good on earth.”
The Holy Father echoes this in his Apostolic Exhortation, writing, “Dear St. Thérèse, the Church needs to radiate the brightness, the fragrance, and the joy of the Gospel, send us your roses!”
St. Thérèse’s legacy of trust, love, and humble evangelization continues to inspire millions, making her not only a Doctor of the Church but a universal model of how to live the Gospel in daily life.
Adapted by Jacob Stein
