Prayer: Insights from St.Therese of Lisieux

Though all who write or speak about Therese are conscious of her prayer, there is as yet no full-length study of the topic. Prayer: Insights from St Therese of Lisieux seeks to present the thought of St Therese on prayer against a double background of Carmelite spirituality and her life as a nun in the Lisieux Carmel. Christopher O'Donnell, an Irish Carmelite Theologian and author of the well-received Love in the Heart of the Church: The Mission of St. Therese (Veritas, 1997), deals first with the Carmelite background of her prayer and the prayer-life of her convent, and then addresses her thoughts on the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours, mental and vocal prayer, and the prayers that she composed. The book concludes with a considration of St Therese's role as a guide of prayer for today's Church.