Blessing of roses honors ‘Little Way’ of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower, “taught us so much with her childlike faith,” Auxiliary Bishop Christopher Cooke of Philadelphia told about 75 people gathered at the Carmel of Mary Immaculate and St. Mary Magdalen in Flemington.

“On her deathbed, St. Thérèse promised to let fall a shower of roses from heaven as symbols of the favor and blessings she hoped to obtain from God for all who asked for her intercession,” the Bishop noted as he spoke at the annual blessing of the roses. St. Thérèse was a French Discalced Carmelite and, each year, the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Flemington gather for the blessing of 150 roses in a rainbow of colors, all donated by local resident James Besch in honor of his deceased mother’s devotion to St. Thérèse. 

The Flemington community of cloistered, contemplative religious, who model a simple and faith-filled life, hold the blessing each Oct. 1, the feast of St. Thérèse. This year, Bishop Cooke presided at the blessing with Auxiliary Bishops Manuel Cruz and Gregory Studerus of Newark; Father Anthony Sirianni, pastor of St. Helena Church, Edison, and master of ceremonies; Father John Primich, chaplain of the Serra Club of Hunterdon County; and Father Peter Aquino, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Newark.

St. Thérèse longed at an early age to join the convent of cloistered sisters where two older sisters had already professed vows, but she would have to wait for some time to begin her novitiate. In his homily, Bishop Cooke noted that “God chooses the weak and builds them up; he makes them strong so that people can see that it is God working through them.”

Troubled as a young girl and lacking confidence in herself, St. Thérèse talked of a conversion one Christmas, said Bishop Cooke, when “God built her up.” St. Thérèse wrote, “My way is all confidence and love,” but hers was the confidence in the mercy, love and goodness of God. She emphasized the good that comes from small acts and taught that no suffering, no issue, is too small to give to Jesus, and that nothing done out of love for God is insignificant.

“St. Thérèse teaches us the power of God’s divine grace,” said Bishop Cooke.

“Thérèse teaches us what it looks like to be open to grace, to receive grace, and to act on grace. As grace is invisible, what a blessing she gives us in the image of a flower – specifically, a rose – to remind us all of what God has done before us with his love, following us with his love, that we might live devoutly and one day reach the fullness of glorification of his love in heaven.”

St. Thérèse wanted to be a missionary, Bishop Cooke noted, but left France just once, to go to Rome, and instead lived out her life in prayer and suffering. Her profound writings came at the urging of her prioress, to occupy Thérèse’s time while sick with tuberculosis, and it was only after her death at age 24 that her wisdom was shared in a book she called “Story of a Soul.”

Shortly before she died, St. Thérèse had a vision of Blessed Ana de Jesús, beatified in September by Pope Francis. St. Thérèse said the Spanish nun said gave her confidence that she would soon be called to heaven. Blessed Ana was also a Carmelite, responsible for establishing the order in France. 

Canonized in May 1925 by Pope Pius XI, just 28 years after her death, St. Thérèse is one of only four women declared a Doctor of the Church, a formal title reserved for those who demonstrate both holiness and eminence in doctrine. 

In blessing the roses, Bishop Cruz thanked the Besch family on behalf of the sisters and prayed that God would “look favorably on these roses which we bless in honor of St. Thérèse. For her, the beauty of flowers was a sign of your tender care for us and the good she could do for others in your name. Grant that all who receive these roses and enjoy their beauty may experience health of soul and body and, realizing your loving concern for them, may reveal it to others.”

The service concluded with veneration of a relic of St. Thérèse and distribution of the roses. 

The Carmel of Mary Immaculate and St. Mary Magdalen is located at 26 Harmony School Road, Flemington. The monastery is open for daily prayer and Mass at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on Sundays. Visit the website at flemingtoncarmel.org for more information.