St. Therese of Lisieux and priesthood?

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I am currently in a discussion regarding women’s ordination, and one of the works cited was an article on RomanCatholicWomenPriests.org. (the article in question) Now… I take their site with a grain of salt, but I am working on refuting some of the statements in the article provided. One of the things that is vexing me, though, is the following “proof” for women’s ordination:

St. Therese of Lisieux, a Doctor of the Church, wanted to be a priest. She cut up her mother’s wedding dress after her father’s death to make a chasuble. (See Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul.)
• St.Therese of Lisieux said, in 1897: “God is going to take me at an age when I would not have had the time to become a priest . . . If I could have been a priest, I would have been ordained at these June ordinations. So what did God do? So that I would not be disappointed, he let me be sick: in that way I could not have been there, and I would die before I could exercise my ministry.”
Therese spoke those words to her sister, Celine Martin. Celine also testified (at the 1910 beatification diocesan tribunal) that “the sacrifice of not being able to be a priest was something Therese always felt deeply . . . (H)er regret . . . was caused by a real love of God, and inspired high hopes in her. The thought that St. Barbara had brought communion to St. Stanislaus Kostka thrilled her.”
Therese said: “Why must I be a nun, and not an angel or a priest? Oh! What wonders shall we see in heaven! I have a feeling that those who desired to be priests on earth will be able to share in their honour of the priesthood in heaven.”
In her Story of a Soul (Day, ed.,p. 187) Therese stated (in a prayer to Jesus): “If I were a priest, how lovingly I would carry you in my hands when you came down from heaven at my call; how lovingly I would bestow you upon people’s souls. I want to enlighten people’s minds as the prophets and doctors did. I feel the call of an Apostle. I would love to travel all over the world, making your name known and planting your cross on a heathen soil.”

I cannot seem to find this quoted passage in my copy of The Story of a Soul. However, mine is from TAN, which may account for this. I know that the editor’s/translator’s eye/bias colors a lot of what a books says.

Any help?
 
Nothing you say will convince pro-women ordination people of the truth that the Church cannot ordain women. Just pray for them.

The sons and daughters of Satan resort to lies and deception, for they do not walk in the light but in the darkness.

Saint Therese’ acknowledged she could not become a priest. She wanted to become one, but knew it was against God’s Law for a woman to become a priest. I can understand this. There are times when I wonder why God didn’t make me a consecrated virgin, but at the same time, I trust in God and give Him thanks for my sexuality, which is a gift of His Mercy (all is grace).
 
St. Therese wanted to be a priest??? She is a Doctor of the Church, so I hope she was just speaking metaphorically, if there is any truth to this.
 
PatienceAndLove said:
I am currently in a discussion regarding women’s ordination, and one of the works cited was an article on RomanCatholicWomenPriests.org. (the article in question) Now… I take their site with a grain of salt, but I am working on refuting some of the statements in the article provided. One of the things that is vexing me, though, is the following “proof” for women’s ordination:

St. Therese of Lisieux, a Doctor of the Church, wanted to be a priest. She cut up her mother’s wedding dress after her father’s death to make a chasuble. (See Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul.)
• St.Therese of Lisieux said, in 1897: “God is going to take me at an age when I would not have had the time to become a priest . . . If I could have been a priest, I would have been ordained at these June ordinations. So what did God do? So that I would not be disappointed, he let me be sick: in that way I could not have been there, and I would die before I could exercise my ministry.”
Therese spoke those words to her sister, Celine Martin. Celine also testified (at the 1910 beatification diocesan tribunal) that “the sacrifice of not being able to be a priest was something Therese always felt deeply . . . (H)er regret . . . was caused by a real love of God, and inspired high hopes in her. The thought that St. Barbara had brought communion to St. Stanislaus Kostka thrilled her.”
Therese said: “Why must I be a nun, and not an angel or a priest? Oh! What wonders shall we see in heaven! I have a feeling that those who desired to be priests on earth will be able to share in their honour of the priesthood in heaven.”
In her Story of a Soul (Day, ed.,p. 187) Therese stated (in a prayer to Jesus): “If I were a priest, how lovingly I would carry you in my hands when you came down from heaven at my call; how lovingly I would bestow you upon people’s souls. I want to enlighten people’s minds as the prophets and doctors did. I feel the call of an Apostle. I would love to travel all over the world, making your name known and planting your cross on a heathen soil.”

I cannot seem to find this quoted passage in my copy of The Story of a Soul. However, mine is from TAN, which may account for this. I know that the editor’s/translator’s eye/bias colors a lot of what a books says.

Any help?
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The Tan version leaves some things out. That version was tranlated before the original texts were released after the death of Therese’s sister who had control over them. There were several passages that were left out in that translation. I have my copy at work so I can’t help you with that passage.
 
Joannm said:
The Tan version leaves some things out. That version was tranlated before the original texts were released after the death of Therese’s sister who had control over them. There were several passages that were left out in that translation. I have my copy at work so I can’t help you with that passage.
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Thanks
 
Eucharisted said:
Nothing you say will convince pro-women ordination people of the truth that the Church cannot ordain women. Just pray for them.
Click to expand...
Well, the good news is that is that woman I am doing the majority of the dialoguing with is not Catholic, but wants to know the reasons the Church will not ordain women. The article I quoted was provided by someone else.
 
PatienceAndLove said:
I am currently in a discussion regarding women’s ordination, and one of the works cited was an article on RomanCatholicWomenPriests.org. (the article in question) Now… I take their site with a grain of salt, but I am working on refuting some of the statements in the article provided. One of the things that is vexing me, though, is the following “proof” for women’s ordination:

St. Therese of Lisieux, a Doctor of the Church, wanted to be a priest. She cut up her mother’s wedding dress after her father’s death to make a chasuble. (See Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul.)
• St.Therese of Lisieux said, in 1897: “God is going to take me at an age when I would not have had the time to become a priest . . . If I could have been a priest, I would have been ordained at these June ordinations. So what did God do? So that I would not be disappointed, he let me be sick: in that way I could not have been there, and I would die before I could exercise my ministry.”
Therese spoke those words to her sister, Celine Martin. Celine also testified (at the 1910 beatification diocesan tribunal) that “the sacrifice of not being able to be a priest was something Therese always felt deeply . . . (H)er regret . . . was caused by a real love of God, and inspired high hopes in her. The thought that St. Barbara had brought communion to St. Stanislaus Kostka thrilled her.”
Therese said: “Why must I be a nun, and not an angel or a priest? Oh! What wonders shall we see in heaven! I have a feeling that those who desired to be priests on earth will be able to share in their honour of the priesthood in heaven.”
In her Story of a Soul (Day, ed.,p. 187) Therese stated (in a prayer to Jesus): “If I were a priest, how lovingly I would carry you in my hands when you came down from heaven at my call; how lovingly I would bestow you upon people’s souls. I want to enlighten people’s minds as the prophets and doctors did. I feel the call of an Apostle. I would love to travel all over the world, making your name known and planting your cross on a heathen soil.”

I cannot seem to find this quoted passage in my copy of The Story of a Soul. However, mine is from TAN, which may account for this. I know that the editor’s/translator’s eye/bias colors a lot of what a books says.

Any help?
Click to expand...
Dear friend

In my blogs is one about catholic priests and what’s so special about them. She would have known much more than this and had a greater understanding and appreciation of what a priest is. She knew she could not, she just romanticised about it because of the reasons in my blog and more I’m sure.
God bless:thumbsup: 🙂
 
PatienceAndLove said:
woman I am doing the majority of the dialoguing with is not Catholic, but wants to know the reasons the Church will not ordain women.
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Jesus, our first “Priest” was a male. The 12 Apostles chosen by Our Lord… were also males. Jesus bestowed the powers of the priesthood upon males. No where in the Gospels… is it recorded that any woman (women) acted as “priests”. Disciples… yes. Priest(s)… or Apostles, nope.

Please tell her… that mere humans (that be us! 😉 ) can not change the way in which Our Lord, Jesus Christ… set up the workings, structure and heirarchy of His Church.

I too, have read the autobiography of St. Therese… many times. Hers was a desire to serve God. She had a Missionary heart… even expressing a desire to be transferred to the Carmel of Hanoi… (which is why she is Patroness of Missions). I don’t remember reading it in the book… but if she ever expressed a desire to become a priest… it was only because she loved God SO much and wanted to do everything to serve Him. It wasn’t merely a desire to “be a priest”. She knew that wasn’t her place.

A woman can no more become a priest… than a man can become a mother.

Hope this helps. God bless.
 
St Therese, out of her great love for God, wanted to serve God in all ways that were possible. She wanted to be an apostle, a priest, a martyr, etc. Yet she knew this was all impossible. She submitted to the Church and to God’s will for her, and found her own place in the Church. She became a Saint not through doing great things like these, but through doing small things, and that’s what makes her so great - that she had all these desires, but still put God’s will first.

So none of this is proof that women should be ordained 🙂 quite the opposite. St Therese had this desire just so that she could later choose God’s will over it and show her obedience.
 
Monica4316 said:
St Therese, out of her great love for God, wanted to serve God in all ways that were possible. She wanted to be an apostle, a priest, a martyr, etc. Yet she knew this was all impossible. She submitted to the Church and to God’s will for her, and found her own place in the Church. She became a Saint not through doing great things like these, but through doing small things, and that’s what makes her so great - that she had all these desires, but still put God’s will first.

So none of this is proof that women should be ordained 🙂 quite the opposite. St Therese had this desire just so that she could later choose God’s will over it and show her obedience.
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Very nicely put my friend. Thank you.
God bless:)
 
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