Mother Agnes of Jesus

On this day in 1861 Pauline Martin, Thérèse's older sister, was born. Thérèse always had a special attachment to Pauline, and when their mother died the young Thérèse said, "Pauline will be my mother now." In October 1882 Pauline entered the Carmelite monastery at Lisieux, and her departure from the family home came as a huge blow to Thérèse, who became very ill. Later, after Thérèse had enetered the same Carmel, Pauline was elected Prioress. In this role Pauline (who in religious life was known as 'Mother Agnes of Jesus') asked Thérèse to write an account of her early years. This instruction brought about one of the greatest and most popular spiritual texts ever written: the 'Story of a Soul', Thérèse's autobiography, which was published a year after her death. We have great cause to be greatful to Mother Agnes, therefore, as without her we may never have known anything of St Thérèse.