Movie about modern day saint filled with faith/values

by Sr. Mary Charles Mayer, RSM

Director of Communications

The movie Thérèse, on the life of "the greatest saint of modern times,” St. Thérèse of Lisieux, is being released in selected movie theatres this month. Unfortunately, it is not scheduled to be shown anywhere in the Midwest; Chicago, IL, is the closest movie theatre where the film can be seen at this time.

Thérèse is a gentle film that is filled with dramatic passion for Christ. It has a majestic musical score set in the late 19th century. The first half of the film is a chronicle of Thérèse’s life within her close-knit family. The colors, sets, and costumes are rich and have a strong sense of the Victorian period with the look of an impressionist painting. The second half of the film reflects her early entry at the age of fifteen into life in the monastery and the joy she experienced there as a young girl. The film captures her early fears, her experience of the early loss of her mother and adoptive mother, her older sister, and her premature confrontation with her own death. Her life was lived in purity and a vision of God’s mercy and love. Her way to heaven became a path of love.

From the Vatican, Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, comments: "A marvelous production revealing the spiritual and missionary message of the life of Saint Thérèse. . .it has great communicative power to people, showing how, with the grace of God, they can achieve such holiness in their own lives. Thérèse will have a very good role in our modern society and will greatly help in evangelization, especially in speaking to the youth of today."

I would encourage Catholics and anyone who enjoys films with faith and value to show support for having this film brought to the Diocese of New Ulm by contacting the website www.theresemovie.com and fill out the support form found by clicking "SEE THERESE" in the upper right corner of the landing page.