Saint Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, teaches us that holiness comes not from extraordinary deeds but from the love we place in small actions. Her novena opens hearts to the grace of spiritual childhood and the profound peace that comes from surrendering everything to God’s will.
The Novena Prayer to Saint Therese
Pray this prayer once daily for nine consecutive days:
Oh Glorious Saint Therese, whom Almighty God has raised up to aid and counsel mankind, I implore your miraculous intercession. So powerful are you in obtaining every need of body and soul, that our Holy Mother Church proclaims you a prodigy of miracles, the greatest saint of modern times. Saint Therese, help me to understand that true holiness lies not in great deeds, but in performing ordinary actions with extraordinary love. Assist me to walk your Little Way, abandoning myself completely to Divine Providence. I place my complete trust in your intercession. Through your powerful aid, I humbly ask for… (mention your request) and the grace to serve God faithfully in all my daily duties. Amen.
Prayer for the Little Way
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love. O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands. Help me to understand that I can become holy not by extraordinary deeds, but by performing the duties of my state in life with the greatest love and fidelity.
About Saint Therese of Lisieux
Therese Marie Martin was born in Normandy, France, on January 2, 1873. From childhood, she was drawn to religious life, inspired by the stories of missionaries and saints. Against the wishes of her father, she pursued her vocation and entered the Carmelite convent at Lisieux at the young age of fifteen. There, in the quiet seclusion of convent life, she developed her revolutionary spiritual approach: the “Little Way.”
Contrary to the spiritual practices of her time that emphasized great penances and extraordinary mortifications, Therese taught that sanctity could be achieved through the faithful performance of daily duties with love. She wrote, “I will look for the way to heaven: the way of the little thing.” Every action-whether washing dishes, caring for a difficult sister, or any mundane task-could become an act of love that raises the soul to God.
Therese died of tuberculosis on September 30, 1897, at the age of 23. Though she never left her convent and performed no public acts of significance, her autobiography “The Story of a Soul” became one of the most influential spiritual writings of the modern Church. Pope Pius X declared her “the greatest saint of modern times,” and she was canonized in 1925. In 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church-one of only four women honored with this title. Her feast day is October 1.
Related Prayers and Devotions
Prayer to Saint Therese of Lisieux
Prayer for the Little Way
Saint Therese – Shower of Roses Prayer