Creator of the original Rosary Dog Leash! - - - Soli Deo Gloria! - - - Do all things for the glory of God!..... 1 Cor 31

St. Therese of Lisieux's dog, Tom

The Little Flower, St. Therese, had a tender relationship with her dog Tom. He knew how special she was!  The Little Way rosary leash was designed with the help of St. Therese! Thank you sweet St. Therese. Keep sending the roses! :-)  St. Therese, pray for us and our Companions on the Journey!  

Tom, Thérèse's dog

This white spaniel was given to Thérèse by Mr. Martin on June 26, 1884. LInk to CarmelArchives

After Thérèse entered the Carmelite convent, the dog was brought once to the parlor, where he leaped over the grille to try to reach his little mistress. What he couldn't do that day, he accomplished at the end of 1889: having followed the furniture from Les Buissonnets, which had been placed in storage at the Carmel, he quickly spotted Thérèse among the nuns receiving the furniture and jumped up at her, bounding around her. Thérèse, deeply moved, caught him under her white novice's veil. It is unknown how long he remained with the Guérin family after the death of Monsieur Martin and Céline's entry into the Carmel on September 14, 1894.

Letter of Sister Geneviève (Céline) to Sister Françoise Thérèse – October 24, 1911

Céline de  
To 

24/10/1911

 
Sister Geneviève of the Holy Face to her sister Françoise Thérèse
Jésus + October 24, 1911
 
My dear little Léonie,
 
I won't give you much, I'm just sending you a photograph of a drawing I've just finished. Our Mother asked me to do it; I did it this summer during my free time. Don't show it to Jeanne; we haven't told her about it yet. It will stay in my boxes. Our Mother will only send this picture to close friends like Gallipoli. When I have a moment, she also asks me for a portrait of the five of us as young girls before Pauline leaves. Thérèse will only be 8 years old then. It will be five heads in shades of gray, like the drawing of the nuns.
This is all very disjointed, Léonie! It seems like I'm speaking to you in choppy sentences; I'm afraid Matins will ring.

Thank you for your feast day wishes; I knew you hadn't forgotten me... On the morning of St. Céline, Thérèse gave me her perfumes; it had been a long time since I'd been favored with them.

And your little "Céline" flowers! Oh! Thank you... they're near the infant Jesus in the oratory of the Blessed Virgin. That little bouquet touched me.

I would be happy to receive a note when you can, to know if you like Thérèse and Céline. At the same time, please tell me what I should do with the five cotton shirts marked LM that I made. I still keep them, convinced they were Thérèse's when she was a postulant, because I remember making her shirts before she entered, on my sewing machine, since I didn't give her mine and I probably wanted to make her a little trousseau. Then she must have returned them; that's when you would have had them, and marked them with your initials. Please try to recall your memories, but I don't remember making you shirts; I'm pretty sure they were for Thérèse. It would be a shame to lose these relics through carelessness.

I remember Tom's story very well; I can still see him lying dying in the laundry room, and Thérèse feeding him steak in sauce by the bite, hiding a little bread under the meat as one would do for a sick child. I hadn't thought to consider this extraordinary, yet it's true that she was the one who saved him from death.
There's the clock striking! I send you a kiss, my dear little sister. I'll be thinking of you during your retirement.

Your little sister, Sister Geneviève of St. Thérèse,  Thank you.

 

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