There are two Saint Teresas:
St Therese of Lisieux
St Therese of Lisieux was born Therese Martin in Alencon, France in 1873 and died at Lisieux in 1897. She entered the convent at Lisieux at the age of 15.
She is best known for her autobiography, ‘The Story of a Soul’. She said ‘I am a very little soul, who can offer only very little things to the Lord.’, and used the metaphor of flowers for these ‘little things’. For this reason she became known as ‘The Little Flower of Jesus’.
She is one of the three female ‘Doctors of the Church’.
St Teresa of Avila
St Theresa of Avila was born ‘Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada’ in Avila, in Spain in 1515. She was a Camelite nun who came into conflict with others within the Church, including the Inquisition. She wrote four major works, and is also a ‘Doctor of the Church’.
