Lisieux

is a children's book series with Ascension Press that is historical fiction about Catholic saints when they were little girls.

So the three saints that we're focused on right now are St. Therese of Lisieux, St.

Rose of Lima, and St. Teresa of Calcutta.

And they are little fiction stories of them when they were nine-year-olds.

For some of them, they're based off very real events.

So like, for instance, Therese of Lisieux has her memoir, Story of a Soul, that was very diligently and beautifully written.

And so the story of her first book is the story of her sister Pauline going to the convent.

Because if you're a Therese fan, you know that that was devastating for Therese.

She hasn't toured since 2022 because of serious health problems, although she did make that very special appearance singing atop of the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Who could forget? Interestingly, the mayor of Lisieux in Normandy, um, a town up there, he asked her to come up and sing there, but apparently she said she can't quite make it, so they're all disappointed up there.

Right.

Let's get into politics now, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, visited the UK recently, but there was another French politician whose visit outre-Manche, or on the other side of the English Channel, didn't go unnoticed, Emma.

Such a pretty road through little smiling villages, every house with a garden, or if too close together to allow that, there were pots of geraniums, the falling kind, in the windows, which made a red curtain dropping down over the walls.

We stopped at Lisieux, a quaint old Norman town with a fine cathedral and curious houses with gables and towers.

One street most picturesque, very narrow with wooden houses, their projecting roofs coming so far over the street one could hardly see the sky in some places.

There were all kinds of balconies and cornices, most elaborately carved, the wood so dark one could scarcely distinguish the original figures and devices.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Anne Boulay.

The Story of a Soul, The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, translated by Thomas Taylor.

This book is dedicated to the servant of God, Sor Therese, in thanksgiving for graces obtained, and to her petite mère, Mother Agnes of Jesus, in grateful memory of innumerable kindnesses extending over many years.

Preface.

Like the chaste Tobias, they were joined together in matrimony, solely for the love of children, in whom God's name might be blessed forever and ever.

Nine white flowers bloomed in this sacred garden.

Of the nine, four were transplanted to paradise ere their buds had quite unfolded, while five were gathered in God's walled gardens upon earth, one entering the Visitation Convent at Caen, the others the Carmel of Lisieux.

From the cradle all were dedicated to Mary Immaculate, and all received her name.

After taking possession of the city, Henry then confirmed the laws, restored the privileges, and pretty soon thereafter, again on Robert's orders, the other castellans of Normandy surrendered their castles to Henry as well.

Next, Henry summoned the Norman magnates to Lisieux, and he held a council where he ordered the restoration of ducal order and demanded that the laws be strictly enforced.

No more robbing, no more plundering, no more burning.

And I'm looking at you, Sir Stephen.

Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena classic.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, in the quiet cloisters of a French Carmelite convent, a young nun, just 15 when she joined, lived a life that would change how countless Catholics from every nation understand sanctity.

St. Therese of Lisieux, known affectionately as the Little Flower, was not a miracle worker in the traditional sense, nor did she found any religious order or travel the world on great missions.

Instead, Therese poured her whole heart into what she called the Little Way.

a path of holiness found in doing small things with great love.

As a child, Therese's soul was tender and earnest, filled with longing to love Jesus as he has never been loved.

The Garden of Lisieux, her convent's winding corridors, her handwritten prayers and letters, these became the quiet stage for her hidden heroism.

Everything, from folding laundry to bearing misunderstandings with patience, became an offering.