Thérèse Martin was born into a devout Catholic family, entered Carmel at Lisieux aged 15, died aged 24, desiring to spend her heaven doing good on earth. Made a Doctor of the Church in 1997.

Her doctrine, which she called the 'Little Way' is that holiness does not consist in self regarding efforts 'to offer things up', but in accepting whole heartedly in faith and trust the gift of God's unconditional merciful love as it comes to us in the bitter and the sweet, the success and the failure of every moment of our lives.