On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the patron saint of the missions, an exhibition in Paris portrays her as “a woman, an intellectual and a searcher for meaning.” A section of it is devoted to her relations with the MEP missionaries and the spread of her spirituality in Asia.
Paris () – “Woman, intellectual and searcher of meaning” is the profile of Teresa of Lisieux that is explored in a new sample inaugurated a few days ago at the headquarters of the Missions Entranger in Paris, on rue de Bac in the French capital, but which pays special attention to Asia. The initiative -which is part of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Carmelite patron saint of the missions- also proposes a series of unpublished documents from the Institut de recherche France-Asie (IRFA) and the Archive of the Carmel of Lisieux that will be focus precisely on the relationship between Teresa and the priests of the MEP.
The theme is the universal message of the Saint of Lisieux, which a secular institution like UNESCO also intends to celebrate with this exhibition, as an “educator and writer” who throughout her life has sown knowledge and encounters between peoples. The first part of the exhibition focuses on Teresa’s message of love for everyone: for her family, her friends, the saints and above all the Lord Jesus, with whom she completely identifies; but also love for the men of her time: the murderer Pranzini, whom she called “my first son”, the “brother” priests, the Carmelite sisters, the distant world of the missions; and then her love for all humanity, manifested even after her death in 1897 with many healings and conversions throughout the world and with the extraordinary dissemination of her diary “Story of a Soul”.
The second part of the exhibition focuses precisely on the relationship between Teresa and the MEP missionaries. Fundamental is the figure of Fr. Adolphe Roulland (1870-1934), a native of the diocese of Bayeux-Lisieux, who in 1896, when he was preparing to leave for China, obtained from the prioress of Carmel of Lisieux that a nun be spiritually associated to his ministry. The choice fell on Teresa and the two began an intense correspondence of 14 letters, in which the Carmelite defined herself as “the little sister of a missionary”. These letters are on display for the first time in the exhibition along with a “ball” (a liturgical ornament, ed) embroidered by Teresa for Fr. Roulland.
In correspondence, the Carmelite also speaks of Fr. Théophane Vénard (1829-1861), a missionary from the French Institute who died a martyr in Vietnam, beheaded after less than 10 years in that country. This priest – who left numerous letters to his contemporaries and was declared venerable by the Church in 1879 – had made a great impression on Teresa. He also sent Fr. Roulland a poem that she had composed entitled “To Théophane Vénard”, in which he expressed his desire to become, following in his footsteps, that “spring flower that the Lord will soon want to choose”. It was also Fr. Roulland to whom Thérèse had told about her possible transfer to the Carmelite convent in Hanoi: the Carmelites prayed to Fr. Vénard to put this project under her protection but, at the end of a novena, a worsening of her health forced Thérèse to remain in Lisieux. On September 6, 1897, however, she received as a gift from her a relic of the missionary martyr which she kept with her until her death.
Finally, the exhibition traces the dissemination of the “Story of a soul” and the spirituality of Teresa of Lisieux in Asia thanks to the typefaces of the missionaries, in particular that of Hong Kong. With a selection of images and manuscripts prior to 1940, the dynamism of the missionaries is illustrated, which allowed Teresa to reach the most remote places in a few years, spreading a bond that lasts over time.
