Maurice and Therese [Hardcover]

Patrick Ahern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1998

As Saint Thérèse lay dying in the Carmel of Lisieux, she overheard a conversation that amused her. Outside her window, two nuns were discussing what they could write in her obituary that could possibly be of any interest, since the twenty-four-year-old nun had never done anything worth noting. Thérèse was pleased, for she had always kept a low profile. With the posthumous publication of her spiritual autobiography in 1898, however, that low profile would vanish instantly. She became one of the most beloved saints of all time, and her influence will expand dramatically because of Pope John Paul II's declaration that she is a Doctor of the Church. Amid growing interest in her writings comes the collected correspondence between herself and a humble young seminarian, Maurice Bellière. Though they never met in person, they exchanged twenty-one letters that open a window on the heart of Saint Thérèse that would have remained forever closed had Maurice not written to the Mother Superior at the convent asking for a nun to pray for him. The Mother Superior chose Thérèse, and in these conversational letters the Little Flower reveals herself in a way that we would never have known from her autobiography. In his accompanying text, Bishop Patrick Ahern expertly leads the reader into the worlds of Maurice and Thérèse and reveals the full beauty of this saint's spirituality.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

St. Therese of Lisieux, who died unknown in a Carmelite convent at the age of 24, became one of the most influential women in the world after her autobiography (The Story of a Soul) was posthumously published in 1898. Mother Teresa of Calcutta took her name from Therese; Edith Piaf kept Therese's picture on her night table; in 1997, Pope John Paul II made her a Doctor of the Church-- only the third woman to receive this distinction. Her autobiography describes a spiritual life full of everyday revelations--she saw God in jam sandwiches, pretty hats, and beautiful flowers. Maurice and Therese: The Story of a Love shows how her commonplace spirituality ministered to an aimless young priest unsure of his vocation and unstable in his devotion. Maurice Belliere wrote to Therese's Mother Prioress to ask that a nun pray for him, Therese was assigned to the task, and their 21 letters (edited and with commentary by Patrick Traherne) illustrate the young woman's extraordinary ability to love. She wasn't deeply familiar with Maurice, and she didn't agree with him on lots of things, but she was naturally inclined to have faith in him--a necessary aspect of love, and one that deserves attention. --Michael Joseph Gross

From Library Journal

Ahern, the auxiliary bishop of New York, explores the relationship between the Carmelite nun St. Therese of Lisieux and a struggling young priest, Maurice Belliere, by compiling the 21 letters exchanged between them and providing biographical details. St. Therese had a short life, dying at the age of 24 of tuberculosis, but she expressed in her prose meaning and inspiration that brought peace to troubled souls. Through this correspondence, the reader is able to "listen in" on the intimate conversation she shared with Maurice as she encouraged his self-acceptance. The two became soulmates through their letters from 1896 until St. Therese's death in 1897. Expressing the suffering and passion of two imperfect persons touched by God, their story captures what St. Therese did best: showing by example how to be holy in life. Recommended for large religious collections.?Leo Vincent Kriz, West Des Moines Lib., IA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385492618
• ISBN-13: 978-0385492614
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exquisite memoir of Therese's friendship with Maurice, September 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Maurice and Therese (Hardcover)

I am delighted to see the correspondence between Maurice and Therese, which I have appreciated for many years in Therese's letters, so beautifully interpreted here. Rich in insights in Therese's love for her "dear little brother," to whom she wrote, "I see how much your soul is sister to mine . . . "; in insight into her missionary consciousness, her love for the priesthood, her acute compassion for humanity, her extraordinary availability to souls, her theology. Bishop Ahern's luminous appreciation of Therese and Maurice lights the book up. Therese ended her correspondence with these words written on the back of holy picture, "last souvenir of a soul, sister of your own soul," and this book is truly that.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Humanity of a Saint, May 8, 2000

By 

Catherine Miller (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maurice and Therese (Hardcover)

Never have I read a book on a saint that was more revealing than this. The correspondence between this beloved Saint and a wonderfully ordinary priest washes away the mystique of St. Therese. What it reveals is a very human woman who through the love of Jesus helps another human being find the love God wants us to share in. It is very intense and emotional. You will find it difficult to put down and easy to re-read.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Testimony of God's Love, March 6, 2001

By 

Steven W. Riddle (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maurice and Therese: The Story of a Love (Paperback)

I had never much cared for St. Therese--largely because her followers made her out to be a somewhat maudlin "little flower." After reading this book, I realized that the "little flower" is actually a giant Sequoia. The passionate love of God and its expression in the support and prayers given to a fellow religious are profoundly moving. I found myself lingering over passages and truly beginning to understand why Therese's "Little Way" has been called "an elevator to union with God."

Highly, highly recommended.