Walking in the Footsteps of the Saints, Part 1: The Little Flower

November 1-3, 2025

Corner flower shop just down from our hotel in Lisieux, hometown of the "Little Flower"!

This trip was quite a new experience for Dick and me as, instead of gallivanting off on our own, we traveled together on a pilgrimage with 43 parishioners from our parish, St. Boniface.  Traveling with fellow parishioners combined with going to so many sacred places was a powerful and life-changing experience.  Each of the locations were the very spots where saints I’ve known of for my entire life grew up, played, ate, slept, prayed, and experienced miracles.  Walking in the very footsteps of these holy role models and experiencing how their very ordinary lives led to such extraordinary events, changing the eternal destiny of countless souls, was an experience I’ll always treasure.

Statue of St. Thérèse outside of the Carmel

The first saint on our list was St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower!  Getting to this Little Flower’s hometown was no little task.  Our flight left Des Moines with connections in Chicago and Frankfurt, arriving in Paris where we took a chartered bus three hours west to Lisieux. So worth it! 

In preparation for this trip, I’d read a bit about a few of these saints, including St. Thérèse.  St. Thérèse’s short life is difficult to sum up in a paragraph or two, but I’ll give it a try.  It’s important to know that she was born into the home of very pious parents.  That’s actually an understatement.  Her parents are the only married couple to be canonized together!  I was raised in a very loving family with wonderful parents, which is something I’ve always been so grateful for.  With that said, can you imagine having genuine saints for your parents? Wow!   

I think what struck me most about Thérèse was how she consistently saw God in all of the little things in her life.  She was such a sweet soul.  In her autobiography, she described how, as a young child, she envisioned each self-sacrificing act she did as turning into a different, delicate wild flower that created a beautiful cushion in her soul, cradling the infant Jesus.  I love that image!  

By the age of 14, Thérèse knew beyond a doubt she wanted to dedicate her life to Jesus.  Talking her father into letting her join the Carmel was not easy, but getting the Carmel to accept her at such a young age was an even larger challenge.  For this, her father took her to the Vatican to get Pope Leo XIII’s permission to join at this early age.  Thérèse entered the Carmel on her birthday at the unheard-of age of 15!  Humility was Thérèse’s constant challenge.  She worked non-stop to make the presence of God bigger in her life and herself smaller.  Despite Thérèse’s attempt to put her own self aside and focus on doing the will of God, she is one of the most well-known and recognized saints in history.  This in itself is remarkable, as Thérèse died at the tender age of 24, having lived her final nine years of life in the seclusion of the Carmel.  For more information on Saint Thérèse, I highly recommend reading her autobiography, The Story of a Soul.  

A statue in Thérèse's backyard where she is pleading with her father for permission to join the Carmel

So, after having spent some time getting to know a little about St. Thérèse, I was really looking forward to spending a little time in the spots where Thérèse hung out!  This didn’t take long, as shortly after arriving in Lisieux and getting  settled into our room (#115) at Grand Hotel L’Esperance, we were off to Mass at Saint Peter‘s Cathedral. This is where Saint Thérèse attended Mass from ages five through 15. It was amazing to be in the same spot where Thérèse attended Mass as a child, said her first confession, and prayed for her own first miracle (the repentance of a convicted murderer before his execution). Mass itself was incredible with Fr. Chinna presiding!  Before Mass began, each parishioner lit a candle and placed it in front of the altar in memory of our loved ones.  The light from each of these small candles combined to give the chapel such a warm glow.  It was almost like having our loved ones there with us.  Following Mass, we toured the cathedral before going to dinner at a restaurant called Le Duplex. 

Outside of St. Peter's Cathedral, where Thérèse attended Mass as a young girl.

It would be an understatement to say this dinner was exceptional! This must’ve been the best meal I’ve ever had. The first course was a salmon tartare, followed by melt-in-your-mouth veal garnished with a creamy mushroom sauce. Dessert was a mouthwatering lava cake. All of this was accompanied with endless glasses of delicious Bordeaux. Maybe that explains what made this dinner so exceptional! Following the meal, we were served a delicious espresso. Ah, the party that happened in my mouth during this meal was pretty extraordinaire!  It was a short walk back to the hotel where we greatly looked forward to our first night’s rest in France!

Our group filled the restaurant to full capacity!

Our first full day in Lisieux started out with complimentary breakfast at our hotel. It was great to be back to the European breakfast of lunch meat and cheese on bread! The bonuses were the French pastries and espressos that went along with that!

The altar in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Following breakfast, we took the bus up to the Basilica built in memory of Saint Thérèse. Before the tour began, we celebrated Mass in the lower level of the Basilica called the crypt. The entire interior of her crypt is filled with stunning mosaics.  The mosaics are done in soft, pastel colors that capture the heart and soul of St. Thérèse.  Behind the altar is a mosaic where angels are offering their prayers of intercession to St. Thérèse. In return, St. Thérèse, surrounded with her dying words, “Oh, I love Him. My God, I love you!”, is reaching out her arms, offering the prayer intentions to God, whose image is embedded in the mosaic above the altar. Stretching from the image of God above the altar and extending into the sanctuary and along the entire length of the nave is the Lord’s prayer, ending in another mosaic of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, the Holy Spirit and Christ’s crucifixion. It’s breathtaking!

As we celebrated Mass, I literally felt a warmth come over me. If I close my eyes, I can still feel the warmth penetrate and dissolve any stress my shoulders are holding.  This is a peaceful spot I know I will be visiting in my memories over and over again.  At the time, I didn’t understand what I was feeling, I only knew that this holy place somehow felt indescribably comforting.  After spending time reflecting on this, I truly believe I was physically experiencing God’s personal love for me.  Surrounded by the embrace of the Holy Trinity and the words of the Lord’s prayer, I was able to let go of all distractions and experience the peace and love of God. 

Following Mass, we went up and toured the main floor of the Basilica. Once again, the entire walls and ceiling are stunning mosaics!  The stained-glass windows were equally impressive.  You could spend an entire day studying the art!  Our guide, Charlotte, pointed out a stained glass with the image of a pelican feeding it’s young from its own flesh.  It’s a strong symbol of Jesus’s sacrificial love and the Eucharist, which had somehow escaped me until that moment!  Another point in time that I’ll remember forever.

The painting is of Thérèse's parents, Louis and Zélie Martin.  The pelican image is above and to the right of them.

Following our tour of the Basilica, we walked down to the Carmel. We were given a meeting spot and then headed off for some free time! 

Outside of the entrance to the Carmel

During our free time Renea, Craig, Kenan, Kathi, Dick and I wandered the streets a bit, finally settling on lunch at Le Patio.  Once seated, we ran into our second challenge: translating the menu!  Apparently, Duo Lingo needs to include menu items in their language program to a higher level.  In the end, with the waiter’s help, everyone successfully ordered exactly what their heart desired and no one left Le Patio hungry! Kenan happens to be our state representative at the Iowa House.  Who knew?  Although we never discussed politics, we did get to know Kenan and Kathi during our 10 days together.  It was nice to get to know first-hand we have such a good man representing our best interests.  

Following lunch, we visited the public areas of the Carmel.  The monastery has transitioned to include both a cloistered life of prayer for the nuns who live there and a site for pilgrimage.  It includes a wonderful museum that includes many artifacts from St. Thérèse’s time there. I loved seeing the crown of roses Thérèse wore on her day of profession.  Therese’s response to this crown: “I want no other Crown but You, my Beloved”. 

We also saw a photo of the chasuble Thérèse created, representing her family.  At the foundation of the cross there are two roses.  These represent her parents, Louis and Zelie Martin.  Stemming up from the roses are five open lilies.  These represent Louis and Zelie’s five daughters.  I bet you can guess which lily Thérèse identifies with!  In case you want a hint:  remember that Thérèse desired to make herself small and God large in her life).  Closest to the top of the cross are four unopened lilies.  These small buds represent Therese’s four siblings who died in childhood.  

Included in the museum are walls and walls of plaques donated from individuals giving thanks to St. Thérèse for her intercession of their prayers and the miracles that resulted. Oh, what a beautiful testament to the power of prayer!   

Before leaving the Carmel, we were able to visit Thérèse’s tomb.  Therese’s body lies in a casket directly below a glass-encased wax figure of her.  Placed in the stained-glass window above Thérèse is the original “Smiling Mary”.  More on that later!

Our final group tour destination for the day was the short walk to Les Buissonets, the childhood home of St. Thérèse.  Almost all of the furnishings of the home remain the same as when Thérèse lived there (ages 4-15).  The exceptions were the chairs around the small table in the entry.  As I sat in one of those chairs, it wasn’t hard to imagine Thérèse warming herself at the fireplace beside me.  I couldn’t believe I was inside this humble woman’s childhood home.  We saw the dining room table where her family gathered and asked God to bless their food.  We were in the bedroom where Thérèse was taught her bedtime prayers.  This was also the room where Thérèse saw the statue of the Virgin Mary smile down on her and heal her from a life-threatening illness.  Today, there is a replica of this statue where the original statue once was.  The original “Smiling Mary” now keeps watch over Thérèse’s body at the Carmel. 

Before dinner that evening, we went back to the Carmel and had the opportunity to meet with a Carmelite nun currently living in the Carmel.  She is a missionary from Brazil, which is cool as St. Thérèse is the patron saint of missionaries!  It was delightful listening to her story and hearing her about her journey to this famous Carmel.

Dinner that night was at the hotel’s restaurant, followed with what seemed like bottomless glasses of Bordeaux with our group in the hotel’s lobby!  A perfect end to an amazing day of following in St. Thérèse’s footsteps!

Up Next:  The Shores of Normandy