St. Thérèse Prayer
St. Thérèse of Lisieux is one of the most beloved saints of modern times. Known as the Little Flower, she taught that holiness is available to everyone through small acts done with great love — her Little Way. Catholics pray to her for roses, for the conversion of sinners, and for the grace to love God in ordinary daily life.
About St. Thérèse of Lisieux
St. Thérèse Martin (1873–1897) entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux, France at age 15 and died of tuberculosis at age 24. In her short life she developed her Little Way — a spirituality of spiritual childhood, of trusting God completely and doing small things with great love, available to everyone regardless of talent or position. Her autobiography, Story of a Soul, was published after her death and became one of the most widely read spiritual books of the 20th century.
Pope Pius X called her the greatest saint of modern times. She was canonized in 1925, declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997 — only the third woman to receive this title — and named co-patron of France alongside St. Joan of Arc. She promised before her death: I will let fall a shower of roses.
The Rose Sign
Many Catholics ask St. Thérèse for a rose as a sign of her intercession. This practice comes from her promise before death to spend her heaven doing good on earth and to let fall a shower of roses. Countless Catholics have reported receiving roses — real flowers, images, or unexpected encounters with roses — as a sign of her response to prayer.
St. Thérèse, Little Flower,
you said holiness was not for giants —
that the smallest act done with great love
reaches heaven as surely as the grandest.
We come to you not with extraordinary needs
but with ordinary ones:
the day we are struggling through,
the person we cannot seem to love well,
the faith that sometimes feels too small
for the weight it has to carry.
Let fall your roses on us.
Pray that we may find God
in the little way,
as you did.
St. Thérèse, pray for us. Amen.
Original composition by Rosarycard.net. Biographical information sourced from Story of a Soul (St. Thérèse of Lisieux) and Butler's Lives of the Saints.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is St. Thérèse of Lisieux?
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897) was a French Carmelite who died at age 24 and became one of the most popular saints of modern times. Known as the Little Flower, she developed the Little Way — a spirituality of small acts done with great love. She was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
- What is the Little Way of St. Thérèse?
- The Little Way is St. Thérèse's spiritual teaching that holiness is available to everyone through small, ordinary acts done with great love — not through heroic deeds or extraordinary gifts. She described it as the way of spiritual childhood: trusting God completely, accepting one's smallness, and offering everything to God however insignificant it seems.
- What is the rose sign of St. Thérèse?
- Before her death, St. Thérèse promised to spend her heaven doing good on earth and to let fall a shower of roses. Many Catholics ask her for a rose as a sign of her intercession and have reported receiving roses — real flowers, unexpected images, or other encounters — as a sign of her response.
- When is St. Thérèse's feast day?
- St. Thérèse's feast day is October 1. She was canonized in 1925, just 28 years after her death.
- Is there a St. Thérèse Prayer in Spanish?
- Yes. The Spanish form begins Santa Teresita, la Florecilla... Use the EN/ES toggle on this page to switch between English and Spanish.
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