At Lisieux, we have taken St Therese’s inspiration in the adoption of our school motto: Known and Loved.
As part of the Nazareth parish cluster, our school name was inspired by the birthplace of St Therese, Lisieux, which is a town in France set among the apple orchards.
Therese was the youngest of nine children born to Louis and Zelie Martin, a hard-working pair who lived in Lisieux. Louis was a jewellery and watch maker while Zelie made lace. Zelie died when Therese was only 4, after which time her older sister Pauline was a key influence in raising her. Therese also enjoyed a very special relationship with her father and was known as his ‘little Queen’.
When Pauline entered the Carmelite order, Therese was only 8 ½ years of age, and made a commitment then to share the same vocation. Therese, herself, entered Carmel of Lisieux at the age of 15 and died in the same convent at the age of 24 from tuberculosis.
Therese showed a deep faith in God. She wrote often about God’s love and about her own care for others. One of her key messages was, “What matters in life is not great deeds, but great love.” She loved nature and especially flowers, and saw herself as “the little flower of Jesus”. The rose has been described as Therese’s signature flower, which we have captured in our logo. We have also named our temporary Junior School, which will operate out of the remodelled house, as The Carmel Centre, in recognition of the convent where Therese lived.
The message of St Therese, who was canonised in 1925, was simple. She focused on love of all things and caring for others. It is fitting for us, as a school, to focus on that spirit of love. At Lisieux, we have taken her inspiration in the adoption of our school motto: Known and Loved.
We pray that our school community, too, experiences the joy of God’s love and that this is expressed through our own relationships.