Our school was named after St. Therese of Lisieux, often called “The Little Flower.” Therese Martin was born in Alencon, France in 1873. At the age of 16, she entered the Carmel of Lisieux. She died at the age of 24. What at first glance seemed to be a short life, lived in almost total obscurity, is today seen as a full, rich walk with God. Just 27 years after her death, Pope Pius XI canonized her in 1925, as St. Therese of the Child Jesus and patroness of the missions. In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared her a “Doctor of the Church.”
In life, St. Therese chose to seek God by her own “Little Way”. From her early childhood, Therese had desired to become a saint, but she was deeply aware that her own efforts were insufficient. By constantly reminding herself of God’s presence and love, she offered all the “little things” that made up her daily life, from morning prayers, to washing clothes, to greeting friends, for His honor and glory. All this she did quietly and gently, for it was her wish in life to be as “obscure as a grain of sand”. Her great mission would begin later, for she said, “After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my time in heaven doing good upon the earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved.”
We at Little Flower School work hard to follow St. Therese’s example of seeking God through humility, confident of His love. We try to see the value and holiness in little things, realizing that the little things are not always so little after all.