On January 2, 1873, Therese Martin was born at Alecon, France. Her Parents name were Louis Martin & Zelie Guerin. Her Father waorked in the army of Napoleon & a watchmaker by trade. Her Mother was a gentle woman, who like her husband, had visions of the religious life before they met & were married. When Therese was only five years old, her mother died. For the next ten years or so, Therese grew into a young woman. When Therese was fourteen, she want to join her sisters in the Carmelite Convent of Lisieux. The young Therese was determined to enter the Convent & so, while on a Pilgrimage to Rome, she had the boldness to appeal to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII. After her persistent entreaties to the pope, she won her case and told her that she could enter the Convent at the very young age of fifteen. Life at Carmel was a rigorous routine. It was a rigid schedule of prayer, and work. On April 3, 1896, she began to cough up blood and it became apparent that she tuberculosis. She was confined to bed & suffered greatly until she died on September 30, 1897 at the young age of 24. St. Therese of the Child Jesus is often depicted by some artists holding a crucifix covered with roses. This representation is probably occasion by an event that occurred shortly before her death. One of the nuns strewed the petals of a rose over the crucifix beside her bed, and told the nun: "keep those petals carefully, sister, & don't lose any of them. Later on they will be useful to you in making people happy." On May 17, 1925, Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face was canonized a Saint of the Church.
