Early Childhood
St. Therese was born in Alençon, France, On January 2, 1873, the last of nine children, only five of which survived to adulthood. Her parents had both desired a religious vocation, but her Mother, Blessed Marie-Azelie [Zelie] Guerin, was refused admittance to the convent and her Father, Blessed Louis Martin, had difficulty with Latin, which was required at that time. In their marriage, they therefore provided a strong and loving spiritual environment for the five girls, all of which later became nuns. Therese's Mother became an expert lacemaker and ran a business with the help of her husband, who was also a watchmaker.
Therese's Mother died of cancer when Therese was only four. This was a tremendous shock to the young girl, and she became all the more close to her older sisters who became like second mothers to her. She became at times overcome with emotions and anxiety. A few months after her Mother's death the family moved to Lisieux.
School years
Therese was schooled at home until she was 8 years old, when she went to a Benedictine Abbey for schooling. This was the saddest time of her life, in her words. She did not fit in well with the others due to her spiritual and emotional nature and because they skipped her ahead due to her intelligence, which did not help her relationship with the other girls. After a few years she left the school and continued to study at home with her sisters as her teachers.
Vocation
St. Therese knew she wanted to be a nun from a very early age. But when her sister Pauline left for the Carmelite Convent when she was nine, not only did it give Therese another great loss, like losing her Mother all over again, but it also strengthened her resolve to become a nun herself. At 14 she asked her Father if she could join Carmel. Her Father agreed, but the the priest/director at Carmel would not agree due to her age. They then went to the Bishop, where she wore her hair up to look older, but still no luck. A few months later they went on a pilgimage to Rome where Therese unexpectedly asked the Pope for his permission to enter Carmel at the age of 15. The Pope told her to do as the authorities asked. She was heartbroken, but a few months later received her letter of admittance into Carmel while she was still 15. On April 8, 1888 she entered Carmel as a postulant, saying:"Now I am here forever."
Carmel and her Spirituality
Some links for more on her life: