NovenasNovena to St. Therese of Lisieux
The Little Flower
Beautiful novena to St. Therese, Doctor of the Church, who taught the 'Little Way' of spiritual childhood. Patron of missions and known for sending roses as signs of answered prayers.
Complete prayer texts. No account needed.
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1/ 9
For trust in God's love
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Therese
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands [mention your request].
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your 'Little Way' each day. Amen.
Reflection
St. Therese's spirituality was founded on absolute trust in God's merciful love. She wrote, 'What matters in life is not great deeds, but great love.' She believed that God loved her with an infinite, personal love, and this belief transformed her life. Today, we ask for the grace to trust in God's love for us.
Prayer
Dear St. Therese, you discovered that God's love for you was limitless and unconditional. Help me to know and feel this same love in my own life. When I am tempted to doubt God's care for me, remind me that I am His beloved child. Teach me to rest securely in the Father's loving embrace, trusting that He desires only my good. Little Flower, obtain for me a deep and lasting awareness of God's tender love. Amen.
Closing Prayer
St. Therese, you said that you would spend your heaven doing good on earth and would let fall a shower of roses. I thank you for your intercession and trust that you will present my petitions before the throne of God.
May I receive a sign of your favor, so that I may continue to spread devotion to you and your Little Way. Amen.
2/ 9
For the grace to do small things with great love
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Therese
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands [mention your request].
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your 'Little Way' each day. Amen.
Reflection
St. Therese taught the 'Little Way' - the path of spiritual childhood that involves doing ordinary things with extraordinary love. She said, 'Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.' In the smallest actions, done with love, we can become great saints.
Prayer
St. Therese, you became a great saint not by doing extraordinary things, but by doing ordinary things with extraordinary love. Teach me your Little Way. Help me to see that every small act of kindness, every hidden sacrifice, every duty faithfully performed can be an act of love for God. May I stop seeking great deeds and instead faithfully love God in the small moments of each day. Amen.
Closing Prayer
St. Therese, you said that you would spend your heaven doing good on earth and would let fall a shower of roses. I thank you for your intercession and trust that you will present my petitions before the throne of God.
May I receive a sign of your favor, so that I may continue to spread devotion to you and your Little Way. Amen.
3/ 9
For patience in suffering
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Therese
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands [mention your request].
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your 'Little Way' each day. Amen.
Reflection
Despite her youth, St. Therese suffered greatly - from tuberculosis, from spiritual darkness, from misunderstanding. Yet she offered all her sufferings to God with love and patience. She wrote, 'I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies.' She teaches us to embrace our crosses with love.
Prayer
St. Therese, you endured terrible suffering with patience and even joy, offering everything to Jesus. Help me to accept my own sufferings with the same loving spirit. When pain or difficulty comes my way, teach me to unite it with Christ's passion. May I see my crosses not as punishments but as opportunities to show my love for God and to help save souls. Give me your patient endurance in all trials. Amen.
Closing Prayer
St. Therese, you said that you would spend your heaven doing good on earth and would let fall a shower of roses. I thank you for your intercession and trust that you will present my petitions before the throne of God.
May I receive a sign of your favor, so that I may continue to spread devotion to you and your Little Way. Amen.
4/ 9
For spiritual childhood
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Therese
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands [mention your request].
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your 'Little Way' each day. Amen.
Reflection
St. Therese embraced spiritual childhood, making herself small before God like a little child before a loving father. She said, 'Holiness consists simply in doing God's will, and being just what God wants us to be.' Like a child, she trusted completely, held nothing back, and ran confidently into her Father's arms.
Prayer
St. Therese, you became little before God, trusting Him as a child trusts a parent. Help me to shed my pride and self-reliance. Teach me to run to God with the simplicity and confidence of a small child. May I hold nothing back from Him, but offer everything with the trust of one who knows she is completely loved. Make me little in my own eyes, so that God can do great things in me. Amen.
Closing Prayer
St. Therese, you said that you would spend your heaven doing good on earth and would let fall a shower of roses. I thank you for your intercession and trust that you will present my petitions before the throne of God.
May I receive a sign of your favor, so that I may continue to spread devotion to you and your Little Way. Amen.
5/ 9
For the missions and the spread of the Gospel
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Therese
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands [mention your request].
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your 'Little Way' each day. Amen.
Reflection
Though St. Therese never left her Carmelite convent, she had a burning desire for the missions. She was named patron of missions along with St. Francis Xavier. Through her prayers and sacrifices, she helped countless missionaries spread the Gospel. She proves that we can do missionary work wherever we are through prayer and sacrifice.
Prayer
St. Therese, patron of the missions, you longed to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Though you never left your convent, your prayers helped convert countless souls. Intercede for all missionaries today. Help them to preach the Gospel with courage and love. And teach me how I, too, can be a missionary through my prayers, sacrifices, and witness. May many souls come to know and love Jesus through the mission work of the Church. Amen.
Closing Prayer
St. Therese, you said that you would spend your heaven doing good on earth and would let fall a shower of roses. I thank you for your intercession and trust that you will present my petitions before the throne of God.
May I receive a sign of your favor, so that I may continue to spread devotion to you and your Little Way. Amen.
6/ 9
For confidence in prayer
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Therese
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands [mention your request].
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your 'Little Way' each day. Amen.
Reflection
St. Therese prayed with complete confidence, trusting that God heard every prayer. She said, 'For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.' She believed that God never refuses the prayers of His children.
Prayer
St. Therese, you prayed with such confidence and simplicity. Teach me to approach God with the same trust. Help me to believe that He hears every word I speak to Him and that He cares about everything that concerns me. When my prayers seem unanswered, increase my faith. Remind me that God always answers, though not always in the way or time I expect. Make my prayer life simple, trusting, and constant. Amen.
Closing Prayer
St. Therese, you said that you would spend your heaven doing good on earth and would let fall a shower of roses. I thank you for your intercession and trust that you will present my petitions before the throne of God.
May I receive a sign of your favor, so that I may continue to spread devotion to you and your Little Way. Amen.
7/ 9
For love of the Holy Face of Jesus
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Therese
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands [mention your request].
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your 'Little Way' each day. Amen.
Reflection
St. Therese had a special devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus, particularly in His passion. She took the name 'of the Holy Face' when she entered Carmel. She loved to contemplate Christ's face, especially as He suffered for us. This devotion kept her focused on Christ's love and sacrifice.
Prayer
St. Therese of the Holy Face, you loved to gaze upon Jesus, especially in His suffering. Help me to contemplate Christ with the same love and devotion. May I never turn away from His passion, but rather see in His suffering the depth of His love for me. Let me, like you, console Jesus by loving Him, offering Him souls, and accepting my own crosses with patience. Amen.
Closing Prayer
St. Therese, you said that you would spend your heaven doing good on earth and would let fall a shower of roses. I thank you for your intercession and trust that you will present my petitions before the throne of God.
May I receive a sign of your favor, so that I may continue to spread devotion to you and your Little Way. Amen.
8/ 9
For a generous heart
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Therese
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands [mention your request].
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your 'Little Way' each day. Amen.
Reflection
St. Therese held nothing back from God. She gave Him everything - her joys, her sorrows, her desires, her very self. She said, 'I want to seek out a means of going to Heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short, and totally new.' That way was complete abandonment to God's love.
Prayer
St. Therese, you gave everything to God without reservation. Help me to be generous with God. Teach me to hold nothing back, but to offer Him my whole heart, my whole life. May I stop calculating and measuring my love, and instead give myself completely to divine love. Make me generous in serving others, patient in trials, and lavish in my love for God. Amen.
Closing Prayer
St. Therese, you said that you would spend your heaven doing good on earth and would let fall a shower of roses. I thank you for your intercession and trust that you will present my petitions before the throne of God.
May I receive a sign of your favor, so that I may continue to spread devotion to you and your Little Way. Amen.
9/ 9
For the grace to spend Heaven doing good on earth
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Therese
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands [mention your request].
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your 'Little Way' each day. Amen.
Reflection
Before her death, St. Therese promised, 'I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses.' She has kept that promise, showering countless graces upon those who invoke her. Today we thank her for her intercession and ask her to continue helping us from heaven.
Prayer
Dear St. Therese, you promised to spend your heaven doing good on earth, and you have kept that promise. Thank you for your intercession during these nine days. I trust that you have presented my petitions to Jesus, whom you love so much. Whether or not I receive the specific favor I seek, help me to accept God's will with joy and trust. Send me a rose from heaven as a sign of your love and care. May I follow your Little Way all the days of my life, until I join you in our Father's house. Amen.
Closing Prayer
St. Therese, you said that you would spend your heaven doing good on earth and would let fall a shower of roses. I thank you for your intercession and trust that you will present my petitions before the throne of God.
May I receive a sign of your favor, so that I may continue to spread devotion to you and your Little Way. Amen.
About this novena
Beautiful novena to St. Therese, Doctor of the Church, who taught the 'Little Way' of spiritual childhood. Patron of missions and known for sending roses as signs of answered prayers.
Feast of St. Therese (October 1) or any time
Traditional start: September 22
You can begin a novena at any time. Traditional dates are a guide, not a requirement.
