Thérèse
by Dorothy Day
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Pub Date Dec 02 2016 | Archive Date Jan 23 2017
Ave Maria Press | Christian Classics
Description
Now back in print, this short biography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux by Dorothy Day expresses the surprising yet profound connection between Day—the founder of the Catholic Worker movement who was praised by Pope Francis for her passion for justice and dedication to her faith—and the beloved saint best known for her Little Way.
When Day first read St. Thérèse’s autobiography, The Story of a Soul in 1928, she called it “pious pap.” At the time, Day—a social activist who had been living a bohemian lifestyle—had only recently been baptized a Catholic. Some twenty-five years later, Day’s perspective on Thérèse had so completely changed that she was inspired to write this biography. She did not find it an easy task: “Every time I sit down to write that book on the Little Flower I am blocked. . . . I am faced with the humiliating fact that I can write only about myself, a damning fact.” But she persisted, and despite numerous rejections eventually found a publisher for it in 1960. She wrote in the Preface: “In these days of fear and trembling of what man has wrought on earth in destructiveness and hate, Thérèse is the saint we need.”
Written originally for nonbelievers or those unaware of Thérèse, the book reflects how Day came to appreciate Thérèse’s Little Way, not as an abstract concept, but as a spirituality that she had already been living. The Catholic Worker, which she cofounded with Peter Maurin, was dedicated to feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless. Day’s life, like Thérèse’s, was filled with all the humble, self-effacing jobs that were a part of this work. She found in Thérèse a kindred spirit, one who saw these simple hidden tasks as the way to heaven. “We want to grow in love but do not know how. Love is a science, a knowledge, and we lack it,” Day wrote.
Just as Day had a conversion of heart about the Little Way, you, too, can be changed by Thérèse’s simple, yet profound spirituality.
Features & Benefits
Dorothy Day’s cause for canonization moved forward in April 2016 when Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York, opened a canonical inquiry of her life.
The republication of this book is timely because in his speech to the United States Congress in September of 2015, Pope Francis spoke about Dorothy Day as one of four figures who embodied the best of the American spirit. “Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.”
St. Thérèse of Lisieux is one of the most beloved saints; new books are published about her every year.
A Note From the Publisher
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Day was baptized in the Episcopal Church. As a young adult, she was a political radical and socialist, sympathizing with anarchists and communists. Day was increasingly drawn to Catholicism because she saw it as the Church of immigrants and the poor. After giving birth to her daughter, Tamar, in 1926, Day converted to Catholicism. Day cofounded the Catholic Worker movement in 1933 with Peter Maurin to live and spread the vision of Catholic social teaching.
Day was the author of several books, including her autobiography, The Long Loneliness. She honored by the University of Notre Dame with the Laetare Medal in 1972. She died in 1980 in New York and her cause for canonization was launched by Cardinal John J. O’Connor, Archbishop of New York, in 1997 on what would have been her one-hundredth birthday.
Advance Praise
“Dorothy Day’s mature assimilation of Thérèse of Lisieux’s spirituality is a vital legacy for the Catholic Worker Movement and for anyone whose life is dedicated to working for peace and justice.”
James Allaire
The Catholic Worker
“Dorothy Day may not be remembered as one of Thérèse’s greatest biographers, but in Day, Thérèse may well have found her most adept and significant student. On both a personal and a social level, she embraced the implications of Thérèse’s most famous words, ‘All is grace.’”
From the foreword by Robert Ellsberg
Editor-in-chief of Orbis Books and former managing editor of The Catholic Worker
“I feel honored to be able to pay this small bit of homage to a book by a saint of our day, Dorothy Day, whose love made her challenge the lie of what she always called ‘this filthy rotten system,’ and enabled her to see deeply enough into another saint of our day to recognize a kindred spirit, though her life, on the surface, seemed so different from Dorothy’s own.”
From the afterword by John C. Cavadini
Theology professor and director of the Institute for Church Life
University of Notre Dame
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780870613067 |
| PRICE | $15.95 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
karen k, Reviewer
Thank you for the pleasure/inspiration of reading this book of St Therese. I finished it on her feast day.
Bethanie R, Reviewer
I adore Dorothy Day. That’s the reason why I picked up this book. Like Dorothy Day, when I first met Thérèse of Lisieux, I wasn’t very impressed. Day describes Thérèse of Lisieux’s Story of a Soul as “pious pap” the first time she read it. But as life goes on and wisdom is gained, opinions change. Dorothy Day, as one reviewer states, may not be a Thérèse of Lisieux scholar, but she may be the Little Flower’s most “adept and significant student.” Before this book, the only book I had read by or about Thérèse was Story of a Soul. Now, with Day’s influence, I’m interested in learning more, particularly about her and her sisters.
This short biography breathes life into this saint and applies her life and teachings to the modern world. It is well-addressed to other people who like Day had trouble relating to Thérèse at first. It breathes life into the saint. The reader gets to see Day really in a kind of dialogue with Thérèse’s life and teachings.
So, what does this saint have to say about the world today? As Dorothy Day says in the book:
With governments becoming stronger and more centralized, the common man feels his ineffectiveness. When the whole world seems given over to preparedness for war and the show of force, the message of Thérèse is quite a different one.
Day was writing this book in 1960, but her insights in this book are just as true, if not more so, 56 years later. With the advent of the internet and social media, we’re now bombarded with rage porn and we’re all screaming into the void. Everyone wants to be internet famous. From the richest billionaire in the board room to the poorest homeless teenager on the streets, everyone is looking for attention, everyone wants the biggest, loudest, fanciest thing.
In this world, Thérèse says the same thing she’s said for over a hundred years, “be little, be small, be like a child, be like putty in God’s hands.” This isn’t to say you can’t stand up against injustice. Dorothy Day, one of her spiritual children, is a good example of that. But imitating Christ isn’t just for big, flashy things. It’s the small acts of everyday life that we will all ultimately have to answer for. And, at the end of the day, God is the only Person you have to please. Forget all the anger, all the fame, all the noise. Forget all the stuff, all the media, all the busyness. Be who God wants you to be right now. Do what God wants you to do right now. Act with God’s love right now. Thérèse’s message is truly counter-cultural. That’s what makes her relevant and needed even now.
Dorothy Day’s book Thérèse is going to be back in print on December 16th. It can be pre-ordered through the publisher here or through Amazon here. I got the opportunity to read it through my membership in NetGalley. Thank you Ave Maria Press for the privilege.
Cozy Book R, Reviewer
This is the biography story of the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Her faith, her spirituality and her devotion is well documented here. Therese's path is one of devotion and giving to the poor. In this biography the author lends herself the favor of attributing her own life path with the same beliefs of Therese. A very interesting read and documentation of Therese is always inspiring to read.
Laura H, Reviewer
Thérèse by Dorothy Day is a look into the life of the Little Flower through they eyes of Day. She provides a compelling look into the family life of Thérèse and her sisters while highlighting the harshness of life in the 1800's. She did her research in finding letters and documents written by the family and inserting them into the dialog so that we understand the emotions and feelings of this saintly family. While Day interjects some of her own thoughts and opinions into the story, it is an interesting perspective of the life of our beloved Saint Thérèse. I highly recommend this quick read to learn more about St. Thérèse, and to learn more about the thoughts of a future saint, Dorothy Day.
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