Thérèse felt certain that he was saved, and now the desire to save souls became a permanent part of this formerly self-absorbed child’s life. When the time came for Pranzini to die, a priest held out a crucifix to him, and he kissed Christ’s wounds three times. It was the turning point of her life.įilled with “a thirst for souls,” Thérèse took up the cause of Henri Pranzini, a murderer under sentence of death, and stormed heaven with prayers for his repentance. “I felt charity enter into my soul, and the need to forget myself and to please others.” Rushing downstairs, she took her shoes to her father and joyfully opened her gifts while he watched and laughed.
Returning from Midnight Mass, she and her sister, Celine, were going upstairs to put their hats away before opening their gifts when they heard their frazzled father say, “Fortunately, this will be the last year.”įearing her little sister’s reaction, Celine told Thérèse not to go downstairs again. On Christmas Eve in 1886, Thérèse, following tradition, placed her empty shoes on the hearth to be filled with presents and candy.
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