Saint Thérèse of Lisieux:
Prayers and Devotions
CTS DevotionsDonal Anthony Foley
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860829093
CTS Booklet D771
The first book I ever read from the CTS was Foley’s Apparitions of Mary, which I had picked up at a retreat many years ago. In fact it was 12 years between reading that booklet and the next column I read from the Catholic Truth Society. But since the spring of 2018 I have read over 200 volumes from the Catholic Truth Society. I stumbled upon them while doing research on an author, and have been hooked ever since. I have also read many in the CTS Biographies and also Saints of the Isles Series, and I loved the books in the CTS Great Saints Series. I love reading about so many saints, their lives and their times. My other favourite books form the CTS are the Prayers and Devotions books. Many of the books in this series do not even have the authors name on the cover, like this volume, Saint Joseph, and Sacred Heart. But each makes reference to the others at the back of the booklet. This booklet was the seventh book from the pen of Foley I have read, and I already have 2 others on order. The description of this booklet is:
“St Thérèse of Lisieux has captured the hearts of millions of people since her death in 1897. In this booklet, learn more about her life and discover how devotion to the Little Flower spread.
Meanwhile, deepen your own devotion with the help of an assortment of prayers to the saint, including novenas and litanies, as well as prayers for various needs and intentions.
Finally, the Little Flower herself guide you in her Little Way, with a beautiful collection of prayers written by the saint, and inspiring meditations written both by Thérèse and Pope St John Paul II, making this booklet a must-have for all devotees of St Thérèse.”
And the chapters in this little volume are:
Origins and Importance of the Devotion
“Little Way” Devotion of St Thérèse
Prayers and Devotions to Be Said In Front of the Statue/Icon
Readings from the Feast of St Thérèse
Litanies of St Thérèse
Novenas to St Thérèse
Prayers by St Thérèse
Prayers to St Thérèse
Meditations
Meditation by St Thérèse
Meditation on St Thérèse by Pope John Paul II in 1997
This little booklet is an excellent resource. Foley writes in an engaging and informative manner. The first third of the booklet is Foley’s work on Thérèse her life and her spirituality. There are many wonderful prayers. A novena I will pray soon and a prayer I have decided to pray daily:
“St Thérèse’s Act of Oblation:
That my life may be one act of perfect love, I offer myself as a victim of holocaust to your merciful love, imploring you to consume me unceasingly, and to let the flood-tide of infinite tenderness, pent up in you, flow into my soul, so that I may become a very martyr of your love, O my God. May this martyrdom, having first prepared me to appear before you, break life’s thread at last, and may my soul take its flight unhindered to the eternal embrace of your merciful love. I desire, O my Beloved, at every heart beat to renew this oblation an infinite number of times till the shadows fade away and I can tell you my love eternally face to face.”
In the first chapter Foley states:
“Many graces and miracles were obtained through her intercession, and she was beatified in 1923, and canonised by Pope Pius XI only two years later. Pope Pius X (1903-1924), had called her the greatest saint of modern times, an astonishing accolade for one who had lived such a hidden life.”
That is what Foley shows us in this wonderful little volume. He gives us the highlights of her life, and the cult that grew after her passing. It also contains many examples of her own prayers and prayers and devotions to her. It is an excellent little volume for personal devotion or to be used in a prayer group. Foley also tells us that:
“Thérèse spirituality has a number of striking characteristics, the most obvious being that unlike many of the great saints of the past, she lived a life without great outward asceticism. Similarly, she did not follow any of the traditional methods of meditation, but focused rather on simplicity and closeness to Christ.”
It is this simplicity that draws many to Saint Thérèse. In the past and still today. I find that almost every time I read a book from the Catholic Truth Society I find 2 or three others I want to read. I have an ever growing wish list of eBooks, books in print, and books out of print from the CTS that I want to track down. This book was a blessing. It is a great volume. I highly recommend it.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.
For reviews of other books in the CTS Devotions series click here.
Books by Donal Anthony Foley:
Christian Living: The Spirituality of the Foyers of Charity
Understanding Medjugorje: Heavenly Visions or Religious Illusion?
Marian Apparitions, the Bible, and the Modern World
Medjugorje Revisited: 30 Years of Visions or Religious Fraud?
Fiction:
The Glaston Chronicles:
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Original Editions:
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CTS Books and Booklets on the life and spirituality of St Thérèse:
Thérèse of Lisieux - On the visit of her relics to Great Britain (Do 810)
Thérèse, teacher of Prayer, by Bro Craig (D 693)
Louis and Zélie Martin, Parents of Thérèse of Lisieux, by Paulinus Redmond (B 709)
The Prayer of St Thérèse of Lisieux by Vernon Johnson (CL23)
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