Women’s Saint Study: Sharing in the Walk of Those Who Followed God’s Plan

“Holiness consists simply in doing God’s will, and being just what God wants us to be. — St Therese Of Lisieux, Patron Saint Of The Women’s Saint Study

This new ministry began with the hope of creating a community echoing the words of St. Therese of Lisieux. St. Therese, also known as “The Little Flower,” was a French Carmelite nun who lived from 1873-1897. St. Therese is a doctor of the church known for her “little way.” Therese’s “little way” was a life of doing all deeds, no matter how “big” or “small,” with great love. St. Therese followed God’s will by living a life of abandonment to all joys and sufferings that came her way. She trusted that God will use it all when we unite it to Jesus on the Cross. St. Therese said, “My God, I choose all! I don’t want to be a saint by halves; I choose all that You will.” When we “get ourselves out of the way” through abandonment to His Holy Will, God gives us the grace of being what He wants us to be.

When St. Therese of Lisieux died at the age of 24, she said, “My mission — to make God loved — will begin after my death. I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses.” Our prayer is that this Woman’s Saint Study be a shower of her roses. May her intercession lead us in a life of abandonment and virtue.

The goal of the Women’s Saint Study is to create an opportunity for women of all different walks of life to come together and help each other strive for more virtuous lives, looking to the saints as our example. We all know that it is common that the company we keep influences our lives. And so we hope that being in the company of the saints we study will help influence us in living out lives of virtue.

This ministry kicked off June 1 with an introduction to our first book, This Present Paradise by Claire Dwyer. This book is a spiritual journey with newly canonized St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. The guiding quote of the book is “let yourself be loved.” Like St. Therese, St. Elizabeth was a French Carmelite nun who lived from 18801906. She called herself a spiritual sister of St. Therese of Lisieux, feeling bonded in the way they understood God’s desire for mercy and intimacy with us. St. Elizabeth was delayed from entering the convent. In this delay, she learned how to live in union with Jesus in her everyday life. Her writings reflect this call to holiness for the laity. St. Elizabeth’s delay in entering the convent was not an obstacle to His plan, but part of His plan. She teaches us how to access the “inner cloister” of our hearts, even in the midst of the carpool or housework. St. Elizabeth’s motto is “Christ in me, I in Him.” No one is excluded from this intimacy with God.

All are welcome to join us at any time in this walk together. We meet for book discussion, prayer, appetizers, and fellowship on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the parish hall. Bring a friend! An introductory meeting to our next book study, I Believe in Love by Fr. Jean C.J. d’Elbee — on the teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux — will begin in January 2022. For more information, please contact Karen Weiman at 217-242-5513 or Kelli Lunt at 217-617-1566.