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This IDC white paper examines how Pure Storage's FlashBlade can help simplify the consolidation of multiple secondary storage processes on one platform. Download now for more details on how flash-based secondary storage systems can help your organization simultaneously protect and maximize your data's value.
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MAS NYC : The Municipal Art Society of New York
Awards + Medals
Greenacre Reference Library
News + Reports
Positions + Testimony
Jane's Walk NYC
Annual Uptown Trinity Church Cemetery Holiday Tour
12/16/2018 12:30 PM - 02:30 PM ET
Gotham's oldest ongoing holiday tradition isn't around a single tree in midtown, but surrounded by trees uptown. Prior to enjoying the 108th annual recitation of Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" at the Church of the Intercession, discover the adjacent historic grounds of Trinity Church Cemetery. Here Moore keeps company with another bearer of Christmas tidings: David C. Colden, American friend of Charles Dickens, who was likely the first New Yorker to get a copy of the British author classic novella, "A Christmas Carol." Established in 1842, Trinity Church Cemetery is Manhattan's only still-admitting burial ground, laid out by James Renwick, Jr. and later improved by Calvert Vaux. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its grounds represent Gotham's wide-ranging contributions to American history. Columbia Community Scholar Eric K. Washington, an authority on who's who beneath this verdant landscape, leads this tour. Other notable permanent residents on the route besides Moore may include John James Audubon, naturalist; New York City Mayors Cadwallader D. Colden, Fernando Wood, A. Oakey Hall and Edward I. Koch; Eliza Jumel, adventuress; David Hosack, Alexander Hamilton's last doctor; John Jacob Astor, merchant; Philip Ernst, original New York Philharmonic flutist; Dita H. Kinney, military officer; Caroline Astor, doyenne of Gilded Age society; Rita de Acosta Lydig, legendary American beauty; Mercedes de Acosta, sapphic paramour of the Roaring '20s; and Captain Michael Hogan, high seas adventurer and diplomat. The tour ends at Intercession in time for this year's reading of Moore's famous poem by NYS Assemblyman Al Taylor (in honor of late Assemblyman Herman "Denny"Farrell), and following procession to the author's grave. Please wear shoes that are suitable for rustic country paths. Guide Eric K. Washington.
Event Registration is closed.
Have a question for MAS about New York? Submit a question to our reference library or team of policy experts.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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San Ignacio – übersetzt "Heiliger Ignatius" – ist der Name folgender Orte/Regionen:

in Argentinien:

 Departamento San Ignacio in der Provinz Misiones
 San Ignacio (Córdoba), Ort in der Provinz Córdoba
 San Ignacio (Iruya), Ort in der Provinz Salta
 San Ignacio (Misiones), Ort in der Provinz Misiones
 San Ignacio (Tucumán), Ort in der Provinz Tucumán
 San Ignacio Miní, Jesuitenruinen in der Provinz Misiones

in Belize:

 San Ignacio (Belize), Provinz Cayo

in Bolivien:

 Municipio San Ignacio de Moxos, Landkreis in der Provinz Moxos
 Municipio San Ignacio de Velasco, Landkreis im Departamento Santa Cruz
 San Ignacio de Moxos, Ort in der Provinz Moxos
 San Ignacio de Velasco, Ort im Departement Santa Cruz
 San Ignacio (Pando), Ort im Departamento Pando

in Chile:

 San Ignacio (Chile), Gemeinde in der Provinz Ñuble

in Costa Rica:

 San Ignacio de Acosta, Hauptstadt des Kantons Acosta in der Provinz San José

in El Salvador:

 Municipio San Ignacio (El Salvador), Verwaltungsbezirk im Departamento Chaltenango
 San Ignacio (El Salvador), Ort im Departamento Chalatenango

in Honduras:

 Municipio San Ignacio (Honduras), Verwaltungsbezirk im Departamento Francisco Morazán
 San Ignacio (Honduras), Ort im Departamento Francisco Morazán

in Mexiko:

 Municipio San Ignacio (Sinaloa), Verwaltungsbezirk in Sinaloa
 San Ignacio (Baja California Sur), Ort in Baja California Sur
 San Ignacio (Jalisco), Ort in Jalisco
 San Ignacio (Sinaloa), Ort in Sinaloa
 San Ignacio de Choix, Ort in Sinaloa

in Paraguay:

 San Ignacio (Paraguay)

in Peru:

 Distrikt San Ignacio in der Provinz San Ignacio
 San Ignacio de la Frontera, Hauptstadt der Provinz San Ignacio
 Provinz San Ignacio im Departamento Cajamarca

in Spanien:

 San Ignacio (Ponga), ein Ort in der Provinz Asturien

in den USA:

 San Ignacio (New Mexico), Ort in New Mexico

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Good Deed: #201 Cure with Surah Fatihah – The opening
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
1.Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;
2. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
3. Master of the Day of Judgment.
4. Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.
5. Show us the straight way,
6. The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,
7. those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.
A man came to the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), embraced Islam then returned to his people. On his way there were a group of men who had with them a mad man in iron manacles. The group said, that they heard that the travelers friend (i.e. Prophet Muhammad) had something good with him and so he exorcised the mad man with Surah al Fatiha, and he was cured. As reward they gave the traveler 100 sheep. He then returned to the Prophet and narrated the story. The Prophet asked if he did anything other than recite al-Fatiha, he said no. So the Prophet said that while these people make their livelihoods out of false incantations (i.e. worshipping false idols) the traveler earned the 100 sheep through something lawful; so he could keep the sheep. [Abu Dawud 3398/a]
Abu Sa'id Ar-Rafi' bin Al-Mu`alla (radiAllahu anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Shall I teach you the greatest Surah in the Qur'an before you leave the mosque?" Then he (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), took me by the hand, and when we were about to step out, I reminded him of his promise to teach me the greatest Surah in the Qur'an. He (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "It is `Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil Alamin (i.e., Surat Al-Fatihah) which is As-Sab` Al-Mathani (i.e., the seven oftrepeated Ayat) and the Great Qur'an which is given to me." [Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) reported that when Allah's Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) asked Ubayy ibn Ka'ab (radiAllahu anhu), "Do you want me to teach you a Surah the like of which has not been revealed in the Torah, the Injeel, the Zabur, nor the Qur'an?", and also asked what he recited in his prayers. He replied Umm-ul Qur'an (Surah Fatihah) the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) proclaimed, 'By Him in whose dominion my soul is, nothing like it has been revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, or the Qur'an and it is seven of the oft-repeated verses in the Mighty Qur'an which I have been given' [at-Tirmidhi, Al-Hakim says that this hadith is Sahih on the conditions established by Imam Muslim (Tafseer Mazhari 1:30)]
Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas (radiAllahu anhu) reported that Allah's Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said 'Rejoice in the two lights brought to you which have not been brought to any prophet before you': al-Fatihah and the last verses of Surah al- Baqarah (2: 2854), (said an angel to the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him) [Muslim].
Ambari in his 'Kitabur-Rad' through his own chain of narrators has mentioned from Mujahid ibn Jabr (rahmatullahi alaih) that Iblees the accursed of Allah Ta'ala lamented on four occasions: first when he was cursed; secondly when he was cast out of Heaven to the Earth; thirdly when Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was given the Prophethood; fourthly when Surah Fatihah was revealed and it was revealed in Madinah. Once the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was traveling when he disembarked and began walking alongside a companion. He asked him, 'Shouldn't I tell you the best part of the Qur'an?' then he recited 'Alhamdu lilahi rabil alameen' (Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds). [Hakim 1/560; Dhahabi]
Abu Saeed al-Khudr'i narrates that while on a journey we halted at a place. A girl came to us and said: "The chief of this tribe has been stung by a scorpion and our men are not present, is there anybody amongst you who can recite something upon him to treat him?" Then, one of our men went along with her although we did not think that he knew any such treatment. However, our friend went to the chief and recited something upon him and the chief was cured. Thereupon, the chief gave him thirty sheep and gave us all milk to drink. When he returned, we asked our friend: "Did you know anything to recite upon him to cure him?" He said: "No, I only recited Umm al-Kitab (i.e. Surah al-Fatihah) upon him." We said that do not do anything until we reach Madinah and ask the Prophet regarding this (practice and reward-whether the sheep were lawful or not for us).Upon reaching Madinah, we narrated this to the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), whereupon he remarked: "How did he come to know that Al-Fatihah can be used as a cure? (Rasulullah said this in astonishment) Distribute your reward amongst yourselves and allot a share for me as well. [Sahih al-Bukhari]
Ibn 'Abbas said, "While Jibril (alayhis salam) was sitting with the Prophet, he heard a sound above him and raised his head. He said, 'This is a door of heaven which has been opened today and which has never been opened before today. An angel descended from it.' He said, 'This is an angel who has descended to earth who has never descended before today.' He gave the greeting and said, 'Give the good news of two lights which you have been given and which no Prophet before you was given: the Fatiha of the Book and the end of Surah al-Baqarah (2). You will not recite a letter of them without being given it.'" [Muslim, Riyad as-Salihin by Imam an-Nawawi]
Abu Sulaiman says that once a group of Companions were in an expedition (ghazwa) when they happened to come across an epileptic person, who was unconscious. One of the Companions recited Surah Al-Fatiha and blew in his ear. The epileptic person immediately cured. When Sayyidana Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was informed of this, he said: "It (Surah Al-Fatiha) is "The Mother of the Qur'an" (Umm al-Qur'an) and is a cure for every disease." [This narration has been recorded by Ath-Thua'lbi from Abu Sulaiman, who narrated it from Muawiya bin Saleh (radhi Allah anhu), Tafseer Mazhari 1:31]
Sa'ib (radhi Allah anhu) bin Yazeed says that Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) recited Surah Al-Fatihah and blew it on me. To safeguard me against calamities, Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) recited this Surah and put his blessed saliva in my mouth. [At-Tabraani narrated this tradition in 'Al-Awsat', Tafseer Mazhari 1:31]
Anas (radhi Allah anhu) said: "When you recite Surah Al-Fatihah and Surah Al-Ikhlas upon lying on your bed, you will be safeguarded and should become fearless of every thing except death."[Narrated by Baraa', Tafseer Mazhari 1:31] The Prophet said, 'Whoever mastered the first seven (chapters or verses) from the Qur'an is a pontiff'. [Hakim 1/564; Dhahabi]
The Prophet said, 'The mother of the Qur'an are the seven oft repeated verses' [Bukhari 4704]
It is narrated from Jabir (radhi Allah anhu) that Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "O Jabir, shall I inform you about the best Surah revealed in the Qur'an?" Jabir said: "O Messenger of Allah, please inform me." Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "It is Fatiha tul Kitab." Jabir adds: "And I think that Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said that Al-Fatiha is a cure for every diseases." Jabir is also reported to have said: "Fatiha tul Kitab is a medicine for every disease except death."[Recorded by Al-Khal'i in his Fawa'id, Tafseer Mazhari 1:30]
The Prophet said, 'In the Fatiha of the Qur'an, there is a cure for all maladies(illnesses)' [Darimi 3236, also narrated by Ad-Darmi in his Al-Masnad and Al-Bayhaqi in Shu'bul Imaan, Tafseer Mazhari 1:30] Surah Al-Fatihah is equivalent to two thirds of the Qur'an[Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Haakim, Tafseer Mazhari 1:31]
Surah Fatihah -The Opening Surah of our Holy Quran, also known by various names like Umm Al-Kitab (Mother of All Books), Ash-Shifa (The Cure) and Ar-Ruqyah (The Remedy).Surat Al-Fatiha is a Makkan surah. It is the fifth surah in the order of revelation and comprises of seven ayahs.This surah inundates the believer's life with its sublime lights. It is a divine grace that blocks the ways of temptations and leads the believer to the gates of mercy.
The reason is it called as Umm Al-Kitab is because the Quran starts with it And the prayer is started by reciting it. This Surah is honoured with this name also because it contains the meanings of the entire Quran. This surah is recited in every prayer and Rakat
Surah al-Fatihah is a cure for physical and also spiritual ailments.
Without this surah, even the daily prayers are incomplete.
It is indeed a great treasure that has been given to us by Allah (s.w.t.) through the Holy Prophet (SAW)
No previous prophet has been given anything like it.
Read the full tafsir of Surah Fatihah
Watch Tafsir of Surah fatihah
Surat Al-Fatiha reminds us of the basics of our faith, its great meanings and denotations:
1-	Remembering the boons and endowments of Allah (SWT): "Praise be to Allah, the Lord of al-alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists)".
2-	Showing sincerity when reciting, "You (solely) do we worship". This means we worship You and no one else, our Lord. You alone we worship and You alone we ask for assistance, "and You (solely) do we beseech for help (for each and every thing).
3-	Seeking good and righteous company, "Guide us to the straight path. Guide us to the straight path. The Path of the ones whom You have favored,"
4- Warning us of bad company, (other than that of the ones against whom You are angered, and not (that of) the erring.)" (TMQ 1:5-7).
5-	Remembering and reiterating the most beautiful names of Allah, with the emphasis on 'The All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful', because the relationship between Allah (SWT) and mankind is dependant upon mercy. This is the reason why 'The All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful' is repeated twice.
6-	Following the right path, "Guide us to the straight path" 7-	The Day of Judgment and the believer's preparation for it, " 8-	The importance and the code of supplication (the surah ends with a
supplication). 9-	The unity of our ummah, as you will find that all the subject pronouns
addressing the reader and the supplications in Al-Fatiha are in plural. If a man is praying alone in his room, his prayers will not be accepted if he says, "You alone I worship, and You alone I ask for help" or "guide me to the right path". We have to say, "guide us", "You (solely) do we worship" and "You (solely) do we beseech for help" all in the plural. It makes you feel that you belong to one ummah and that you are not alone in this universe.
Source: Surah Fatihah
Tags: benefit of surah fatihah, surah fatihah the opening, virtues of surah fatihah
« Good Deed: #200 Understand the Quran
Good Deed: #202 Remove Shaytaan Read Surah Baqarah – The Cow »


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← War Wounds
Veterans Affairs agency under investigation for conference spending →
Veterans group calls for legislative fix to VA contracting rule
Posted on August 14, 2012 by Team VCS
From federalnewsradio.com
by Ruben Gomez
Vietnam Veterans of America has thrown support behind a congressional effort to loosen a rule that governs service-disabled veteran-owned businesses working for the Veterans Affairs Department.
"Congress may need to move to synchronize the standards of control between VA and [the Small Business Administration]," said Rick Weidman, VVA's executive director for policy and government affairs, in an interview with Federal News Radio.
Weidman criticized a VA rule requiring that service-disabled veterans competing for SDVOSB contracts unconditionally control decision-making within their companies. He said SBA regulations allow more flexibility.
"Literally every day I get emails on both sides of this issue," he said. "And the two sides being people begging for help to throw the frauds out because they're stealing the business, and letters from veterans who are saying, 'look, you know me Rick. You know my business. And [VA is] saying that I'm not qualified.'"
Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), chairman of the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, is crafting legislation to force VA to loosen its rule. Johnson said he favors SBA's process, although he did not say exactly how the bill would change the steps VA uses to verify SDVOSB program eligibility.
The unconditional control requirement creates a "bright line" and removes subjectivity from the process examiners use to decide whether a business qualifies for the service-disabled veteran set-aside program, said Thomas Leney, executive director of VA's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, during in a recentsubcommittee hearing.
"We have improved our quality control and become more aggressive in referring firms that we suspect are misrepresenting their status," said Leney in written testimony. "In fiscal 2011 we referred 25 firms to the Office of Inspector General for investigation as possible misrepresentation. So far in fiscal 2012, we have referred 59 firms."
VA is the only federal agency required by law to verify the status of service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. The department conducts audits of businesses through its Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE).
But some lawmakers and veterans groups believe VA is keeping legitimately qualified veterans from receiving contracts, saying no investor in his or her right mind would give the majority owner carte blanche control over the investment.
"You can take almost anything and absolutize it and make a muck of it. And that's really what the VA has done … in a way that makes no sense in terms of business," Weidman said.
He said statutory change is the only way to address the concerns.
"If we can ever make CVE work properly, then VET-Force and Vietnam Veterans of America and virtually all the other veterans organizations and military service organizations would be in favor of making it a governmentwide standard, if you will, but not at this point because it's driving our people out of business who are legitimate," he said.
VA is considering the possibility of improving its SDVOSB processes and is accepting suggestions for change, said agency spokeswoman Josephine Schuda.
This entry was posted in Veterans for Common Sense News and tagged Veterans Articles & News. Bookmark the permalink.


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Announcing our second developer grant winners
By Trent Fuenmayor, Program Manager, Coinbase Giving
In August, we made a call for applications through our Crypto Community Fund focused on blockchain developers who contribute directly to a blockchain codebase, or researchers producing white papers. Today, we're excited to announce the Fund's second batch of developer grants to 6 recipients: AMIS Technologies, Josie, Escanor Liones, WeFuzz Research, and two developers funded through a partnership with Brink.
All candidates demonstrated a consistent history of contributing to blockchains, as well as innovative ideas, and provided the Fund's advisory board with a clear, actionable outline of the projects they intend to work on. They will both be funded to work on their projects for all of 2022, with their grants funded in BTC or USD based on the recipient's preference.
AMIS Technologies (github, blog) will be providing various digital signature protocols based on multi-party computation (abbrev. MPC) in the blockchain including ECDSA, Schnorr Signature, Bls Signature, and Bip32( i.e. Hierarchical deterministic wallet). The audited Library will continue to open to developers. They believe that MPC will be an alternative option for private key management.
Josie (github, twitter) will be working on the unit, functional, and fuzz testing in Bitcoin Core by focusing on improving test coverage and refactoring for performance and clarity. He will also be supporting three researchers on a project centered around analyzing bitcoin transactions, specifically on fees and privacy when used as a means of payment. Last but not least, he will be performing code review and testing PRs in Bitcoin Core.
Escanor Liones (github, twiter) will be designing and implementing a sequence of blockchains to promote the study, advancement and improvement of mathematics, cryptography and digital security. The present grant will fund one of those blockchains. His previous published work focused on Information-Theoretical Private Information Retrieval (IT-PIR) in the form of a practical Postgres C/C++ Extension using Quantum Resistant Lattice-based Cryptography; see the open sourced implementation here. A paper will be published with the details about the design in early summer; and, a blog or a paper towards the end of the year speaking to the implementation and the experience of designing, building and deploying a blockchain.
WeFuzz (github, twitter, website, discord) plans to build a, fully decentralized, crowdsourced security audit and bug bounty platform: a set of smart contracts that allow developers and companies to get their smart contracts, blockchains, web3 applications etc., audited by the decentralized auditors' and hackers' community and makes it easy for everyone to secure their assets. WEFUZZ (Chaitanya and Ranjeet) aims to become the *Hacker DAO*.
Brink (website) is a 501c3 that exists to strengthen the Bitcoin protocol and network through fundamental research and development, and to support the Bitcoin developer community through funding, education, and mentoring. They support and mentor new contributors to open source Bitcoin development through their fellowship program, and support the work of established Bitcoin protocol engineers through their grants program. Coinbase has funded two Bitcoin core developers through their partnership with Brink.
The Crypto Community Fund grantees will provide periodic updates about their work through public blog posts. The Fund will also be placing an additional call for developer grants later this year, and encourages future applicants to subscribe to updates here.
Announcing our second developer grant winners was originally published in The Coinbase Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
What Will The Fed Do? – Investment Watch
High-Yield Savings, CDs, And MMAs


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Who Is St. Therese?
St. Therese had a simple yet powerful message that still resonates in the hearts of millions today.
She died at the age of 24, believing that her life was really just beginning for God, promising to spend her heaven doing good on earth. Her promised "Shower of Roses" began and has become a torrent in the Church ever since.
St. Therese's Parents
Her Early Years
Her School Years
Her Life at Lisieux Carmel
Her Illness, Death, and Sainthood
Important Dates in St. Therese's Life
On Sunday, October 18, 2015, Pope Francis presided at Mass in St. Peter's Square which included the Rite of Canonization for Sts. Zelie and Louis Martin. The Martins had been beatified earlier on October 19, 2008.
The Pope stated in his homily, "The holy spouses Louis Martin and Marie-Azelie Guerin practiced Christian service in the family, creating day by day an environment of faith and love which nurtured the vocations of their daughters, among whom was Saint Therese of the Child Jesus." They are the first-ever married couple with children to be canonized in the same ceremony.
Louis Martin – The Watchmaker
Louis Martin (1823 – 1894) was a watchmaker by trade, and quite a successful one. He also skillfully managed his wife's lace business. But, as with so many men, Louis' life had not turned out at all the way he had planned.
Born into a family of soldiers, Louis spent his early years at various French military posts. He absorbed the sense of order and discipline that army life engenders. His temperament, deeply influenced by the peculiar French connection between the mystical and the military, tended toward things of the spirit.
Eventually, Louis settled down in Alencon, a small city in France, and pursued his watchmaking trade. He loved Alencon. It was a quiet place and he was a quiet man. It even had a lovely trout stream nearby, offering him the opportunity to pursue his favorite recreation.
At twenty-two, young Louis sought to enter religious life at the monastery of the Augustinian Canons of the Great St. Bernard Hospice in the Alps. The blend of courage and charity the monks and their famous dogs manifested in rescuing travelers in Alpine snows appealed powerfully to Louis Martin.
Unfortunately, the Abbot insisted the young candidate learn Latin. Louis, whose bravery would have carried him to the heights of the Alps in search of a lost pilgrim, got himself lost among the peaks and valleys of Latin syntax and grammar. His most determined efforts failed. He became ill and dispirited, and abandoned his hopes for the monastic life.
Zelie Guerin – The Lace Maker
Most famous of Alencon's thirteen thousand inhabitants were its lace makers. French people greatly admired the skill and talent required to produce the exquisite lace known throughout the nation as Point d' Alencon.
Zelie Guerin (1831 – 1877) was one of Alencon's more talented lace makers. Born into a military family, Zelie described her childhood and youth as "dismal." Her mother and father showed her little affection. As a young lady, she sought unsuccessfully to enter the religious order of the sisters of the Hotel-Dieu. Zelie then learned the Alencon lace-making technique and soon mastered this painstaking craft. Richly talented, creative, eager, and endowed with common sense, she started her own business and became quite successful. Notable as these achievements were, Zelie was yet to reveal the depths of the strength, faith, and courage she possessed.
Zelie and Louis Martin
The Martins
Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin eventually met in Alencon, and on July 13, 1858, Louis, 34, and Zelie, 26, married and began their remarkable voyage through life. Within the next fifteen years, Zelie bore nine children, seven girls and two boys. "We lived only for them," Zelie wrote; "they were all our happiness."
The Martins' delight in their children turned to shock and sorrow as tragedy relentlessly and mercilessly stalked their little ones. Within three years, Zelie's two baby boys, a five year old girl, and a six-and-a-half week old infant girl all died.
Zelie was left numb with sadness. "I haven't a penny's worth of courage," she lamented. But her faith sustained her through these terrible ordeals.
In a letter to her sister-in-law who had lost an infant son, Zelie remembered: "When I closed the eyes of my dear little children and buried them, I felt sorrow through and through…People said to me, 'It would have been better never to have had them.' I couldn't stand such language. My children were not lost forever; life is short and full of miseries, and we shall find our little ones again up above."
The Martins' last child was born January 2, 1873. She was weak and frail, and doctors feared for the infant's life. The family, so used to death, was preparing for yet another blow. Zelie wrote of her three month old girl: "I have no hope of saving her. The poor little thing suffers horribly….It breaks your heart to see her."
But the baby girl proved to be much tougher than anyone realized. She survived the illness. A year later she was a "big baby, browned by the sun." "The baby," Zelie noted, "is full of life, giggles a lot, and is sheer joy to everyone."
Death seemed to grant a reprieve to the Martin household. Although suffering had left its mark on mother and father, it was not the scar of bitterness. Louis and Zelie had already found relief and support in their faith.
The series of tragedies had intensified the love of Louis and Zelie Martin for each other. They poured out their affection on their five surviving daughters; Marie, 12, Pauline, 11, Leonie 9, Celine, 3, and their new-born. Louis and Zelie named their new-born; Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin. A century later people would know her as St. Therese, and call her the "Little Flower."
Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin was born on January 2, 1873, and baptized two days later on January 4th. "All my life, God surrounded me with love. My first memories are imprinted with the most tender smiles and caresses…Those were the sunny years of my childhood." Thus Therese, twenty-one years later, described her home life in Alencon, France. "My happy disposition," she added with characteristic candor, "contributed to making my life pleasing."
The Baby of the Family
The Martin household was a lively place. Therese's father, Louis, had a nickname for each of his daughters. Her mother, Zelie, wrote her relatives constantly about the joys each child gave her. Therese was the baby and everyone's favorite, especially her mother's.
Due to Therese's weak and frail condition at birth, she was taken care of by a nurse for her first year and a half. Because of this care, she became a lively, mischievous and self-confident child. But Zelie was not blind to her baby's faults.
Therese was, she wrote, "incredibly stubborn. When she has said 'no', nothing will make her change her mind. One could put her in the cellar for the whole day." Therese's candor appeared early and was unusual. The little one would run to her mother and confess: "Mama, I hit Celine (her sister) once-but I won't do it again."
Little Therese was blond, blue-eyed, affectionate, stubborn, and alarmingly precocious. She could throw a giant-sized tantrum. Her bubbling laughter could make a gargoyle smile.
In a note, Zelie advised her daughter Pauline: "She (Therese) flies into frightful tantrums; when things don't go just right and according to her way of thinking, she rolls on the floor in desperation like one without any hope. There are times when it gets too much for her and she literally chokes. She's a nervous child, but she is very good, very intelligent, and remembers everything."
Through it all, however, Therese thrived on the love which surrounded her in this Christian home. It was here, where prayer, the liturgy, and practical good works formed the basis of her own ardent love of Jesus – her desire to please Him and the Virgin Mary.
Celine and Therese Martin. Therese is 8 years old.
"I Choose All"
At the age of twelve, Therese's sister Leonie felt she had no further use for her doll dressmaking kit, and stuffed a basket full of materials for making new dresses. Leonie then offered it to her six year old sister, Celine, and her two year old sister, Therese.
"Choose what you wish, little sisters," invited Leonie. Celine took a little ball of wool that pleased her. Therese simply said, "I choose all." She accepted the basket and all its goods without ceremony. This incident revealed Therese's attitude toward life. She never did anything by halves; for her it was always all or nothing.
On Sundays, Louis and Zelie Martin would take their daughters on walks. Therese loved the wide open spaces and the beauty of the countryside about Alencon. Frequently, the walks tired little Therese. This would result in "Papa" Martin carrying his daughter home in his arms.
Unfortunately, the pleasant family times would soon come to an end. The shadow of death that had previously occupied the Martin household, once more relentlessly returned. Therese's mother, Zelie (after an illness of twelve years), died of breast cancer in August, 1877. Therese was only four years old at the time.
The Winter of Great Trial
Shortly after his wife's death, Louis Martin moved his family of five girls (ranging in ages from four to seventeen) to Lisieux. He rented a home and named it "Les Buissonnets" ("The Hedges"). Therese then entered what she termed "the second" and "most painful" period of her life. Because of the shock of her mother's death, "my happy disposition completely changed," she remembered. "I became timid and retiring, sensitive to an excessive degree…."
Les Buissonnets
Louis Martin and his daughters did all they could to help little Therese who missed her mother so much. They lavished affection and attention upon the motherless child. At Les Buissonnets, under the tutelage of her sisters Marie and Pauline, Therese began her first schooling.
Each day after classes were over she joined her father in his study. Louis called Therese his "little queen." Eventually the two would go for a walk. They would visit a different church each day and pray before the Blessed Sacrament. The bond between father and daughter grew stronger and stronger. "How could I possibly express the tenderness which Papa showered upon his queen?" she later exclaimed. Her sister Celine, nearly four years older, became her favorite playmate.
The passage is all the more remarkable because it revealed the theme of exile which dominated her whole life. Therese maintained the first word she learned to read was "heaven." From her childhood she interpreted all her world as only the beginning, only a glimpse of a glorious future.
Sundays had tremendous significance. They were days of rest tinged with melancholy because they must end. It was on a Sunday evening this youngster felt the pang of exile of this earth. "I longed," she explained, "for the everlasting repose of heaven – that never ending Sunday of the fatherland…"
Therese, given the proper occasion, continued to produce extreme temper tantrums. The following is her own account of one of the more sparkling scenes that took place between herself and her poor nurse, Victoire.
"I wanted an inkstand which was on the shelf of the fireplace in the kitchen; being too little to take it down, I very nicely asked Victoire to give it to me. But she refused, telling me to get up on a chair. I took a chair without saying a word, but thinking she wasn't too nice; wanting to make her feel it, I searched out in my little head what offended me the most. She often called me a 'little brat' when she was annoyed at me and humbled me very much.
So before jumping off my chair, I turned around with dignity and said, 'Victoire, you are a brat!' Then I made my escape leaving Victoire to meditate on the profound statement I had just made… I thought, if Victoire didn't want to stretch her big arm to do me a little service, she merited the title 'brat.'"
In October, 1881, Louis enrolled his youngest daughter (Therese) as a day boarder at Lisieux's Benedictine Abbey school of Notre-Dame du Pre. Therese hated the place and stated "the five years (1881 – 1886) I spent there were the saddest of my life."
Classes bored her. She worked hard, and loved catechism, history and science, but had trouble with spelling and mathematics. Because of her overall intelligence, the good nuns advanced the eight-year-old to classes for fourteen-year-olds. She was still bored. Her keenness aroused the envy of many fellow pupils, and Therese paid dearly for her academic successes.
Genius has its price, and the youngest Martin girl was paying it. The ordinary games and dances of other children held little interest for her. She was uncomfortable with most children and seemed to be at ease only with her sisters and very few others. Of all the Martin girls, Pauline was closest to Therese.
Therese thought of her as her second mother. Pauline was the little one's first teacher and ideal. Then one day Therese's second mother told her she was leaving to enter the convent at the Carmelite Monastery in Lisieux. Nine-year-old Therese was stunned.
Again employing the exile theme, she described her sorrow: "…I was about to lose my second mother. Ah, how can I express the anguish of my heart! In one instant I understood what life was; until then I had never seen it so sad, but it appeared to me in all its reality and I saw it was nothing but a continual suffering and separation. I shed bitter tears…"
Our Lady of the Smile statue at Les Buissonnets in France
"Our Lady of the Smile"
During the winter following Pauline's entrance into the Carmelite monastery, Therese fell seriously ill. Experts have diagnosed her sickness as everything from a nervous breakdown to a kidney infection. She blamed it on the devil. Whatever it was, doctors of her time were unable to either diagnose or treat it.
She suffered intensely during this time from constant headaches and insomnia. As the illness pursued its vile course, it racked poor little Therese's body. She took fits of fever and trembling and suffered cruel hallucinations. Writing of one bout of delirium, she explained: "I was absolutely terrified by everything: my bed seemed to be surrounded by frightful precipices; some nails in the wall of the room took on the appearance of big black charred fingers, making me cry out in fear. One day, while Papa was looking at me and smiling, the hat in his hand was suddenly transformed into some indescribable dreadful shape and I showed such great fear that poor Papa left the room sobbing."
None of the treatments helped. Then, on May 13, 1883, Therese turned her head to a statue of the Virgin near her bed, and prayed for a cure. "Suddenly" Therese writes, "…Mary's face radiated kindness and love." Therese was cured. The statue has since been called "Our Lady of the Smile."
It was shortly after Pauline's departure that Therese decided to join her at Lisieux's Carmelite Convent. She approached the prioress of the monastery and sought entrance. Carefully little Therese explained she wished to enter, not for Pauline's sake, but for Jesus' sake. The prioress advised her to return when she grew up. Therese was only nine years old at the time.
During her long illness, her resolve to join the Carmelites grew even stronger. "I am convinced that the thought of one day becoming a Carmelite made me live," she later declared. After her illness, Therese was more than ever determined to do something great for God and for others. She thought of herself as a new Joan of Arc, dedicated to the rescue not only of France but of the whole world.
With unbelievable boldness the ten-year-old stated, "I was born for glory." And thus another great theme of Therese's life manifested itself. She perceived her life's mission as one of salvation for all people. She was to accomplish this by becoming a saint. She understood that her glory would be hidden from the eyes of others until God wished to reveal it.
At ten years of age, then, she reaffirmed and clarified her life's goals. She was intelligent enough to realize she could not accomplish them without suffering. What was hidden from her eyes was just how much she would have to endure to win her glory.
"Spiritual torment" was to be her lot for years to come, slackening only when she started preparing for her long-awaited First Communion. At the age of eleven, on May 8, 1884, Therese received her first "kiss of love", a sense of being "united" with Jesus, of His giving Himself to her, as she gave herself to Him.
Her eucharistic hunger made her long for daily communion. Confirmation, "the sacrament of Love," which she received on June 14, 1884, filled Therese with ecstasy. Shortly thereafter though, the young Martin girl experienced a peculiarly vicious attack of scruples. This lasted seventeen months. She lived in constant fear of sinning; the most abhorrent and absurd thoughts disturbed her peace. She wept often.
"You cry so much during your childhood," intimates told her, "you will no longer have tears to shed later on!" Headaches plagued her once more. Her father finally removed her from the Abbey school and provided private tutoring for her.
During this time her sister, Marie, became very close with Therese, and helped her to overcome these fears. But Marie in turn, also entered the Lisieux Carmel (on October 15, 1886). This was very hard on Therese, who at the age of thirteen, had now lost her "third" mother.
Therese's sister, Marie Martin, as a girl.
The Christmas Conversion
After midnight Mass, Christmas, 1886, the shadow of self-doubt, depression and uncertainty suddenly lifted from Therese, leaving her in possession of a new calm and inner conviction. Grace had intervened to change her life as she was going up the stairs at her home.
Something her father said provoked a sudden inner change. The Holy Child's strength supplanted her weakness. The strong character she had at the age of four and a half was suddenly restored to her. A ten year struggle had ended. Her tears had dried up. The third and last period of her life was about to begin. She called it her life's "most beautiful" period.
Freed from herself, she embarked on her "Giant's Race." She was consumed like Jesus with a thirst for souls. "My heart was filled with charity. I forgot myself to please others and, in doing so, became happy myself."
Now, she could fulfill her dream of entering the Carmel as soon as possible to love Jesus and pray for sinners. Grace received at Mass in the summer of 1887 left her with a vision of standing at the foot of the Cross, collecting the blood of Jesus and giving it to souls. Convinced that her prayers and sufferings could bring people to Christ, she boldly asked Jesus to give her some sign that she was right. He did.
In the early summer of 1887, a criminal, Henri Pranzini, was convicted of the murder of two women and a child. He was sentenced to the guillotine. The convicted man, according to police reports, showed no inclination to repent. Therese immediately stormed heaven for Pranzini's conversion. She prayed for weeks and had Mass offered for him. There was still no change in the attitude of the condemned man.
The newspaper La Croix, in describing Pranzini's execution, noted the man had refused to go to confession. Then on September 1, 1887, as the executioner was about to put his head onto the guillotine block, the unfortunate criminal seized the crucifix a priest offered him and, the newspaper noted, "kissed the Sacred Wounds three times." Therese wept for joy, her "first child" had obtained God's mercy. Therese hoped that many others would follow once she was in the Carmel.
Marie Martin, the oldest daughter of the family, joined her sister Pauline at the Lisieux Carmel in 1886. Leonie Martin entered the Visitation Convent at Caen the following year. Therese then sought permission from her father to join Marie and Pauline at the Lisieux Convent. Louis was probably expecting the request, but it saddened him nevertheless. Three of his girls had already entered religious life. But, characteristically generous, he not only granted Therese's request, but worked zealously to help her realize it.
Therese's Determination
Therese was not yet fifteen when she approached the Carmelite authorities again for permission to enter. Again she was refused. The priest-director advised her to return when she was twenty-one. "Of course," he added, "you can always see the bishop. I am only his delegate." The priest did not realize what kind of girl he was dealing with.
To his dying day, Bishop Hugonin of Bayeux never forgot her. She came to his office with her father one rainy day and put her surprising request before him. "You are not yet fifteen and you wish this?" the bishop questioned. "I wished it since the dawn of reason," young Therese declared.
Therese, age 15
Louis' support of her request amazed the bishop. His Excellency had never seen this type of support before. "A father as eager to give his child to God," he remarked, "as this child was eager to offer herself to him."
Just before the interview, Therese had put up her hair, thinking this would make her look older. This amused the bishop, and he never spoke about Therese in later years without recounting her ploy.
Although charmed by her, Bishop Hugonin did not immediately grant Therese's request. He wanted time to consider it, and advised Therese and her father that he would write them regarding his decision.
Therese had planned that, should the Bayeux trip fail, she would go to the Pope himself. Thus in November, 1887, Louis took his daughters, Therese and Celine, to Italy with a group of French pilgrims. Catholics from all over the world were journeying to the Eternal City, to celebrate Leo XIII's Golden Jubilee as a priest.
In her autobiography, Therese sketched a charming picture of her travels through Southern Europe. In Rome she was enamored of the Coliseum. Its history of Christian martyrdom stirred the very roots of her being.
Once inside the Coliseum, the two sisters ignored regulations prohibiting visitors from descending through the ruined structure to the arena floor, sneaked away from the tour group, climbed across barriers and down the ruins to kneel and pray on the Coliseum floor. Gathering up a few stones as relics, they slipped back to the tour. No one, except their father, noted their absence.
The great day of the audience with Pope Leo XIII came at the end of their week in Rome. On Sunday, November 20, 1887, "they told us on the Pope's behalf that it was forbidden to speak as this would prolong the audience too much. I turned toward my dear Celine for advice: 'Speak!' she said. A moment later I was at the Holy Father's feet…Lifting tear-filled eyes to his face I cried out: 'Most Holy Father, I have a great favor to ask you!…Holy Father, in honor of your jubilee, permit me to enter Carmel at the age of fifteen.'"
Father Reverony, the leader of the French pilgrimage, stared stonily at this bold little girl, in surprise and displeasure. "Most Holy Father," the priest said coldly, "this is a child who wants to enter Carmel at the age of fifteen. The superiors are considering the matter at the moment."
"Well, my child," the Holy Father replied, "do what the superiors tell you." "Resting my hands on his knees," Therese continued, "I made a final effort, saying, 'Oh, Holy Father, if you say yes, everybody will agree!' He gazed at me speaking these words and stressing each syllable: 'Go – go – you will enter if God wills it.'"
Therese did not want to leave the Holy Father's presence, so the papal guards had to lift her up and carry the tearful young girl to the door. There they gave her a medal of Leo XIII. Her old nurse, Victoire, probably could have told the Pope he should not have been surprised. Victoire had seen Therese in some rare displays of determination.
January 1889, several days after Therese's clothing
On New Year's day, 1888, the prioress of the Lisieux Carmel advised Therese she would be received into the monastery, but that she had to be patient and wait a little bit longer. On April 9, 1888, an emotional and tearful, but determined Therese Martin said good-bye to her home and her family. She was going to live "for ever and ever" in the desert with Jesus and twenty-four enclosed companions: she was fifteen years and three months old.
The only cloud on her horizon was the worsening condition of her father, Louis, who had developed cerebral arteriosclerosis. Celine remained at home to care for their father during his long and final illness. The good father was growing senile.
Once in June of 1888, he wandered from his home at Lisieux and was lost for three days, eventually turning up at Le Havre. In August, after a series of strokes, Louis became paralyzed.
Many years earlier, when Therese was a little girl, she would peer out of an attic window. Therese loved reveling in the glory of the day. One day however, while her father was in Alencon on business, she suddenly saw in the garden below the stooped and twisted figure of a man.
She froze in terror. "Papa, Papa" she cried out. Her sister, Marie, who was nearby, heard the unmistakable note of panic in Therese's cry and ran to her. The figure in the garden disappeared. Marie assured her it was nothing and told her to forget everything that had happened.
But the vision continued to cling like a sad portent in the corner of Therese's mind for the next fourteen years. Now, with her father paralyzed, the meaning of Therese's vision in the garden so long ago had became apparent at last.
Louis however, rallied his strength, and managed to attend the ceremonies of Therese's clothing in the Carmelite habit on January 10, 1889. Shortly thereafter, on February 12th, Louis was taken to the hospital after an attack of dementia.
Seeing her father's humiliation hurt Therese deeply. "Oh, I do not think I could have suffered more than I did on that Day!!!" With that, Therese began to understand the sufferings of the mocked Christ, the Suffering Servant foretold by Isaiah. Therese's father made one last visit to the Carmel in May, 1892. He died peacefully two years later, in 1894, with Celine at his side. Celine then joined her three sisters at Carmel in September of 1894.
Therese spent the last nine years of her life at the Lisieux Carmel. Her fellow Sisters recognized her as a good nun, nothing more. She was conscientious and capable. Sister Therese worked in the sacristy, cleaned the dining room, painted pictures, composed short pious plays for the Sisters, wrote poems, and lived the intense community prayer life of the cloister. Superiors appointed her to instruct the novices of the community. Externally, there was nothing remarkable about this Carmelite nun.
Therese was affected by the spiritual atmosphere in the community, which was still tainted by Jansenism and the vision of an avenging God. Some of the sisters feared divine justice and suffered badly from scruples. Even after her general confession in May 1888 to Father Pichon, her Jesuit spiritual director, Therese was still uneasy.
But a great peace came over her when she made her profession on September 8, 1890. It was the reading of St. John of the Cross, an unusual choice at the time, which brought her relief. In the "Spiritual Canticle" and the "Living Flame of Love," she discovered "the true Saint of Love."
This, she felt, was the path she was meant to follow. During a community retreat in October, 1891, a Franciscan, Father Alexis Prou, launched her on those "waves of confidence and love," on which she had previously been afraid to venture.
Pictured above standing: Therese' sisters Celine and Pauline; seated are Mother Marie de Gonzague, Marie, and Therese. Photograph taken in the Courtyard at Carmel Lisieux, early 1895.
The harsh winter of 1890-1891 and a severe influenza epidemic killed three of the sisters, as well as Mother Geneviere, the Lisieux Carmel's founder and "Saint". Therese was spared, and her true energy and strength began to show themselves. Therese was delighted when her sister, Agnes of Jesus (Pauline) was elected prioress in succession to Mother Marie de Gonzague in February of 1893.
Pauline asked Therese to write verses and theatrical entertainment for liturgical and community festivals. Included were two plays about Saint Joan of Arc, "her beloved sister", which she performed herself with great feeling and conviction. When Celine joined Therese at Lisieux Carmel in September of 1894, she brought her camera. Through this, they were able to enliven their recreation periods, and leave Therese's picture to posterity.
Therese develops her "Little Way"
Therese was aware of her littleness. "It is impossible for me to grow up, so I must bear with myself such as I am with all my imperfections. But I want to seek out a means of going to heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short and totally new."
Therese went on to describe the elevator in the home of a rich person. And she continued: "I wanted to find an elevator which would raise me to Jesus, for I am too small to climb the rough stairway of perfection. I searched then in the Scriptures for some sign of this elevator, the object of my desires and I read these words coming from the mouth of Eternal Wisdom: 'Whoever is a little one let him come to me.' The elevator which must raise me to heaven is your arms, O Jesus, and for this I have no need to grow up, but rather I have to remain little and become this more and more," And so she abandoned herself to Jesus and her life became a continual acceptance of the will of the Lord.
The Lord, it seems, did not demand great things of her. But Therese felt incapable of the tiniest charity, the smallest expression of concern and patience and understanding. So she surrendered her life to Christ with the hope that he would act through her. She again mirrored perfectly the words of St. Paul, "I can do all things in him who strengthens me." "All things" consisted of almost everything she was called upon to do in the daily grind of life.
Wash day at Le Carmel. Therese is the second from the left. Her sister, Celine is next to her on the right.
Life in the Carmel had its problems too: the clashes of communal life, the cold, the new diet and the difficulties of prayer (two hours' prayer and four and a half hours of liturgy). One day, she leaned over the wash pool with a group of Sisters, laundering handkerchiefs.
One of the Sisters splashed the hot, dirty water into Therese's face, not once, not twice, but continually. Remember the terrible temper that Therese had? She was near to throwing one of her best tantrums, but said nothing! Christ helped her to accept this lack of consideration on the part of her fellow Sister, and she found a certain peace.
Again, in the daily grind of convent life, she was moved by her youthful idealism to help Sister St. Pierre, a crotchety, older nun who refused to let old age keep her from convent activities. Therese tried to help her along the corridors.
"You move too fast," the old nun complained. Therese slowed down. "Well, come on," Sister urged. "I don't feel your hand. You have let go of me and I am going to fall." And as a final judgment, old Sister St. Pierre declared: "I was right when I said you were too young to help me." Therese took it all and managed to smile. This was her "little way."
Another nun made strange, clacking noises in chapel. Therese did not say, but the good lady was probably either toying with her rosary or was afflicted by ill-fitting dentures.
The clacking sound really got to Therese. It ground into her brain. Terrible-tempered Therese was pouring sweat in frustration. She tried to shut her ears, but was unsuccessful. Then, as an example of her 'little ways', she made a concert out of the clacking and offered it as a prayer to Jesus. "I assure you," she dryly remarked, "that was no prayer of Quiet."
Therese, the great mystic, fell asleep frequently at prayer. She was embarrassed by her inability to remain awake during her hours in chapel with the religious community. Finally, in perhaps her most charming and accurate characterization of the "little way," she noted that, just as parents love their children as much while asleep as awake, so God loved her even though she often slept during the time for prayers.
To learn more about Therese's life at Lisieux Carmel, visit this site (written in French with an English tranlastion) Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux.
In the Infirmary
St. Therese had her first evidence of tuberculosis, the illness that would eventually end her life, in April 1896. By the following April she was gravely ill. Confined to the infirmary at Carmel, she spent her time, at the request of her Prioress Mother Marie de Gonzague, writing out her life story. This manuscript eventually became part of her book, "Story of a Soul" (L'histoire d'un ame).
St. Therese on the outdoor porch at Carmel during her illness
Death and Sainthood
It became apparent in the summer of 1897 that Therese would not rally from her illness and she received Extreme Unction in July. Therese passed at 7:20 PM on September 30, 1897 at age 24. She died believing that her life was really just beginning for God, promising to spend her heaven doing good on earth. Her final words were, "Oh, my God, I love you!"
St. Therese after her passing.
Within months, the Carmelites at Lisieux began to receive reports of "favors and graces" attributed to Therese. "Story of a Soul" had been published in October 1898 and pilgrims began to visit her gravesite at Carmel.
The cause for beatification and canonization grew at the beginning of the twentieth century. Thousands of letters poured into the Carmel monastery in Lisieux. Her canonization took place on May 17, 1925 at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome with 500,000 crowding St. Peter's Square.
In 1997, St. Therese was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II, making her the second Carmelite nun to receive that distinction after St. Teresa of Avila. Pope John Paul II stated:
Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is the youngest of all the "Doctors of the Church", but her ardent spiritual journey shows such maturity, and the insights of faith expressed in her writings are so vast and profound that they deserve a place among the great spiritual masters.
St. Therese's promised "Shower of Roses" began at her death and has become a torrent in the Church ever since.
January 2, 1873 – St. Therese's Birthday
January 4, 1873 – Baptism
August 28, 1877 – Death of her Mother, Zelie Guerin
October 2, 1882 – Pauline, her sister, enters Carmel
May 13, 1883 – Our Lady's Smile; Therese Healing
May 8, 1884 – First Communion
June 14, 1884 – Confirmation
December 25, 1886 – Christmas Conversion
November 20, 1887 – Audience with Pope Leo XIII
April 9, 1888 – Entry into Carmel
January 10, 1889 – Therese takes the habit
September 8, 1890 – Profession of Vows
July 29, 1894 – Death of her Father, Louis Martin
July 8, 1897 – Therese enters the infirmary
September 30, 1897 – Her Death, Entry into Heaven
September 30, 1898 – Her autobiography "Story of a Soul" is published
June 10, 1914 – Cause of Beatification Introduced at Rome
April 29, 1923 – Beatification
May 17, 1925 – Canonization
October 19, 1997 – Declared Doctor of the Church


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Eamon Gilmore
Image: Niall Carson/PA
Gilmore: We'd be going into a second bailout without Labour in government
"Unsustainable debts, more job losses, less investment and more cuts," would happen without Labour in government, the Tánaiste has said this evening.
Nov 29th 2013, 8:00 PM 6,722 117
TÁNAISTE EAMON GILMORE has told delegates at the Labour Party national conference that the country would be heading into a second bailout if it was not in government.
Opening the party's 66th conference in Killarney tonight, the Tánaiste said that there would have been "unsustainable debts, more job losses, less investment and more cuts" without the junior coalition partner.
"What would have happened if Labour had not gone into Government? The answer is we would be now be going into a second bailout," he said.
The Tánaiste acknowledged that it has not been easy for the party or its members, defending government decisions.
"It hasn't been easy for our people and it hasn't been easy for our party," he said. "It hasn't been easy for party members who have had to defend the party and the decisions the Government has had to take."
He said that the government had renegotiated a bailout that was "unworkable, taking it apart brick by brick and putting it back together into something that could work".
Gilmore confirmed that the government intends to legislate for collective bargaining rights in the coming weeks, fulfilling a commitment to ensure the State is in compliance with European court judgements.
The Tánaiste said that he is "proud" of what the party has achieved in government and highlighted progress made on social issues such as abortion and the forthcoming same-sex marriage referendum.
"I am proud that after 20 years, we are the first Government to deal with the X case, and make pregnancy safer for Irish women," he said.
He claimed that before the current government came to office there was "no strategy for jobs" and said the party had ensured that the country has the second most progressive tax system in the OECD, where the top one per cent pay almost a fifth of all tax.
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The Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Teases An Intriguing Doc Ock Detail
Sony Pictures / Marvel Studios
By Ethan Anderton/Updated: Aug. 25, 2021 12:57 pm EST
Before the "Spider-Man: No Way Home" trailer arrived this week, we already had confirmation that Alfred Molina would be reprising his role as the villainous Doc Ock from "Spider-Man 2" back in 2004. It was the actor himself who confirmed the rumors, and now it's official thanks to his game-changing appearance at the end of the trailer for the upcoming multiverse mayhem arriving in theaters this December. Previously, Molina teased the exact moment that Doc Ock would be pulled from the universe of Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the trailer actually has a tiny, key detail to back it up.
These Things Have Turned You Into Something You're Not
In "Spider-Man 2," an experiment gone wrong results in Dr. Otto Octavius' artificially intelligent, industrial strength arms short-circuiting and damaging a mind-inhibitor chip that prevents the arms from taking control of his brain and motor functions. Power-hungry and prideful, the arms convince Dr. Octavius to follow through on his failed experiment, even if it turns out to be even more dangerous.
The film's climax finds Spider-Man trying to shut down the experimental machine with unthinkable energy that threatens to swallow New York City. After Doc Ock is dealt some tough blows, he becomes dazed and seems to be snapping out of the control of the arms. It's only when Peter Parker leans into Dr. Octavius' memories and principles that he convinces him to overpower the arms and use them to destroy the machine by drowning it in the river.
It's in this moment that we see a key detail that illustrates how the arms react to Dr. Otto Octavius being in control of the arms instead of having the mechanical limbs controlling him.
Listen to Me Now
If you watch the clip above, pay close attention to the light inside the claws of the arms. It glows red whenever Doc Ock is in full villain mode, controlled by the arms. But as he says, "Listen to me now," the light inside the claws begins to flicker and turn white instead of red, indicating that Dr. Octavius is now in control of the arms. So what does this have to do with the "Spider-Man: No Way Home" trailer?
In the climactic moments of the film's trailer, Doc Ock sudddenly shows up to taunt Tom Holland as Peter Parker. If you look at the arm when it zooms onto the screen (called to our attention on Twitter), the light inside the claw is glowing red, indicating that this is still very much the full villainous form of Doc Ock. Check out the still below to see for yourself.
How Will Doc Ock Find Redemption?
So Doc Ock's redemption arc hasn't been undone for this crossover to take place. Instead, as Molina previously explained, Doc Ock has been pulled into the multiverse just before Peter Parker was able to snap him out of it. However, that has us wondering how the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Peter Parker will dispatch with all these villains from other universes. Will he have to influence these bad guys to redeem themselves or defeat them when they can't be convinced to stop their villainous ways? If so, what would that mean for the universe from where they came? Perhaps this is where the rumors of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning as their respective versions of Spider-Man come into play. But that's something we likely won't know until "Spider-Man: No Way Home" arrives in theaters on December 17, 2021.


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Now reading: Interview between Christina and Ewelina from The Closet Journal
Interview between Christina and Ewelina from The Closet Journal
A little while ago, Ewelina, the creative mind behind The Closet Journal, and Christina, co-founder and CEO of AMELI, sat down to have a conversation about the challenges of founding a start-up in the fashion industry, how AMELI strives to empower women beyond the bags and why, we as women, should support and lift each other up.
ABOUT THE CLOSET JOURNAL
The Closet Journal features a wide array of topics covering the fashion industry and building a minimalistic style aesthetic. In the past couple of months, the blog has transformed more and more into a hub for combining creativity and style under the umbrella of sustainability. This year it launched the 365 Outfit Project - a challenge to create 365 outfits consisting of 70 alternating, timeless pieces (already including shoes and accessories!). Shifting the focus towards sustainable brands and a sustainable way of consuming fashion, Ewelina uses her platform to inspire her community to shop more consciously and rely on steady pieces that last across seasons and trends.
Fashion creativity is not about constantly buying new clothes and accessories. Most of us have enough stuff in our wardrobes, and the real challenge is appreciating what we already own and continuously creating unique sets from things we have had for years. - Ewelina Kanty
EWELINA'S QUESTIONS
Christina, you are the founder of AMELI - a handbag brand that makes the life of a businesswoman easier. What or who inspired you to start the label, and why did you become an entrepreneur in the first place?
What inspired me most to start AMELI was the lack of existing handbag brands that combine functionality and elegance. I used to work in consulting and I had the choice between quite functional (ugly) unisex laptop bags or more female shoppers/totes that weren't adapted to my 'business' needs.
The willingness to change something in the existing handbag industry was also one of the main drivers for me to become an entrepreneur.
Could you please tell us about the fabrics and production processes you use at AMELI?
As main fabric, we use different kind of leathers. In addition, we use reinforcement and metal parts. All materials are carefully selected and sourced from renowned manufacturers in Italy. Our producer helps us a lot in making the right decisions to ensure the high-quality and longevity of our products. Our products are handmade by a small family business in Varese, Italy. The process is that we first start with a prototype made of paper, before we have a leather prototype and then the real production. Thereby, we work very closely with our producer and visit them every 1-2 month.
In your opinion, what are the qualities that make a brand sustainable?And as an entrepreneur, how do you stay motivated to continue advocating for a fair and transparent fashion industry?
I think the term sustainability has been greenwashed a lot in recent years and there is always more one can do to be sustainable. For me, being sustainable is producing high-quality products that last - transparently and with integrity. For AMELI this means that we know every supplier in our supply chain and can guarantee that they follow the high EU standards. Also, we only produce in small quantities to avoid overproduction and we use the leather leftovers for our accessories. As we visit our producer on a frequent basis, we can ensure fair working conditions. We also offer a complimentary repair service, as we truly believe that it's most sustainable when you invest in long-lasting pieces. I stay motivated because with every other option I couldn't sleep with a good consciousness. The more I learn about the fashion industry, about the intransparency, illegal sweatshops and offshore sourcing, the more I am disgusted and I don't want another human to suffer because of my business, so there is no way around fairness and transparency.
Quite recently, you shared a little reminder on the official AMELI profile that running a business isn't all roses, and Instagram isn't always the reality. Behind the beautiful photoshoots, events, and brand promotion, there is a lot of hard work, midst chaos, and never-ending to-do lists. So my question is - what biggest challenges and significant barriers did you face as a female leader, and what do you wish you had known before launching the AMELI brand?
Especially when we have been in Italy searching for a producer, there has been so much sexism. My husband was with me and everyone treated us as if my husband was financing my naive idea. I hated it to not be taken seriously. Besides that, I must admit that I also had a lot of very positive experiences as a female leader. There are so many other female leaders out there with whom I got in contact with and exchanged experiences. I actually don't know what 'beforehand' knowledge would have changed our journey. I have learned that everything takes longer than expected, that you make a lot of mistakes and that you need to prioritize… And I think that is what every founder would tell you, but it's something different to actually go through those learnings than hearing them.
How has your life changed since you first became an entrepreneur? Do you have any advice on how to maintain a healthy work-life balance?
My whole life changed. Before AMELI (and Covid), I would take the plane on Monday, work, sleep in hotels, and return on Thursday. Expensive restaurants and hotels, business outfits and heels, appearance and performance highly professional. Now, I work mostly from home, I still work a lot, also on the weekends, but I have way more flexibility. I can go out with our dog whenever I want to. I can decide to not take a shower and stay in my casual outfit the whole day. I can be transparent with my community and I don't have to pretend to have answers to all issues. But as it is 'my' business, it is really tough to not think about work. So actually, I do not have a good advice on how to maintain a healthy work-life balance, I am rather seeking advice myself ;) What helps me is being in nature with my dog, doing yoga and trying to practice self-care and love.
As a team that consists of (almost) entirely women, on your social media and the AMELI blog, you focus not only on product promotion but also deal with other topics like motivation, women empowerment, and self-development. Could you tell us more about your 'Strong Voices' interview series and the education program for girls you support?
Let's be honest - bags can't change the world but I believe that the women, who wear them, can. For me, it is important to have an impact that is greater than designing bags. Strong Voices is an interview series that interviews inspirational women so that our community can learn from their experiences. Those women are from the entrepreneurial, consulting and corporate world and I have learned so much from them - I hope that is also true for our community. We, in our bubble, are extremely privileged. With privileges comes responsibility. There are so many women who do not have the chance to follow their dreams, who cannot read, don't have a free choice. I believe that education is an important lever for a world with equal chances and opportunities. So we are spending yearly part of our profits to support female empowerment. Last year, we have donated 5000 CHF to the Malala Fund, this year, we have already spend 2500 CHF to Women's Hope.
What is the best advice you would give to someone who wants to start an online business? Are there any resources, effective marketing initiatives, or tools that have helped you build and promote your brand?
Go with the standard, best in class tools - Shopify, Klaviyo. Don't make it too complicated in the beginning and focus on getting your product out. Then it's a continuous improvement process.
What do you think the future holds for women in the business world, and how would you explain the importance of empowering women and women-owned companies?
There is still a gap between men and women, be it in terms of stereotypes, payment, unofficial work, BUT there has already been so much improvement over the years, so I think the future for women is bright. Thereby, I feel that the empowerment of women is one of the big game changer. When we women learn to support us even more, connect better, network, we can close the existing gap much faster.
And my last question - given the fashion industry's environmental impact, what steps do you take to make your personal fashion choices more mindful? Do you have any recommendations for quality and sustainable women's workwear brands?
I try to live by a capsule wardrobe, focusing on core pieces with great fit and good materials in timeless colors - so I simply love your inspirations. I really must compliment you on that! Also, I try to avoid impulsive buying and only shop when I really have a demand for a specific item. Recently I also rediscovered my love for second-hand items. Regarding workwear brands from female entrepreneurs, I could recommend Nina Rein, Lotta Ludwigson, Vestaire Personnel, and Nort Swiss.
How to find your perfect bag
What fair pricing means for us
How we approach sustainability


Sustainable thinking and environmental awareness are growing for societal and economic reasons. Therefore the reuse of reclaimed and bio-based materials receives increasing attention. Recently, the TPAC concluded the DECOREC project co-financed by the Taskforce for Applied Research (SIA). The project was executed in collaboration with Tiwánee van der Horst and Gebr. van der Geest. The main objective was the development of polymeric applications with appealing surface properties using reclaimed textile fibres, particularly for interior use. Recycled petrochemical polymers and water soluble biopolymers as matrix material were of main interest. A major problem when using recycled polymers are their aesthetic properties, such as the greyish colour and superficial unevenness due to small contaminations.
Textile waste is generally broken into fibres by shredding and milling. Dependent on material type and origin yarns can have a length between 8 and 250 mm. Experiments showed that fibres longer than 10 mm were difficult or even impossible to process by extrusion. However compounds with maximal fibre lengths of 10 mm and fibre mass fractions of up to 50% could be extruded. The surface haptics of this extrudate is similar to felt. But fibre contents higher than 30% embrittle the polymer structure. Moreover it was shown that short fibres can be deposited onto the polymeric surface during extrusion. The resulting surface can be compared to textile flock.
Water soluble biobased materials were used to produce different wall coverings. The main advantage of a water soluble matrix material is the possibility to easily remove the covering from walls and in addition reuse the reclaimed fibres. Long fibre filled coverings similar to wall paper can be produced with a hard or soft haptic by calendaring. Fibre lengths of 4-8 mm prepared using a cutting mill facilitate stir mixing of fibre filled pastes, which can be applied on walls using plaster sprayers.
Results of the DECOREC project are promising and offer various possibilities for decorative applications, such as interior wall designs or portable extruded room dividers.


THESE days you're hard pushed not to spot a famous face on a wander through star-studded La Cala de Mijas.
Well known characters such as Elliott Wright from The Only Way is Essex and TV chef Steven Saunders run their bustling restaurants with panache while Marbella's it crowd is never far away.
Long gone are the days when the place was merely a haunt for gangland heroes, including 'Mad' Frankie Fraser, Kray minder George Dixon and notorious Ronnie Knight.
These days there is a distinct sense of glamour about the charming village, which has become a genuine foil to the buzz of Marbella.
Alongside a mix of well-heeled international tourists keep your eyes peeled for British celebrities including Antony Worrall Thompson, Chris Tarrant and Rick Parfitt of Status Quo who have been spotted there.
Thanks to the prime location between Marbella and Fuengirola, visitors are close to urban action while revelling in the provincial charm of a waterfront fisherman's cottage or backstreet bar.
The eighteenth-century watchtower, recently restored, stands as a beacon to the town's history, with almost all local transport conducted by donkey up to the 1970s!
The defiantly low-rise La Cala de Mijas has preserved its Spanish charm while absorbing waves of tourists and smartening up its act in recent years especially.
And with the boardwalk, completed a year ago, which connects the village with Riviera there is all the more reason to strut your stuff in La Cala.
It is fast becoming a little corner of Marbella in Mijas, with a booming property market, a splendid promenade and vibrant bar and restaurant scene.
It was here that TOWIE's Elliot Wright chose to sink three million euros in a stunning restaurant Olivia's last year, rather than in the perhaps more obvious resort of Marbella.
"The Only way is La Cala these days," he explains. "Bit by bit it is getting more and more glamourous and more and more upmarket.
Fellow restaurateur Steven Saunders, of Ready Steady Cook fame, agrees. "It is incredible how much this area has come up in the last year.
The central hub for many an expat in La Cala is Irish bar Biddy Mulligan's.
The perfect place to watch sport or grab a Guinness, manager David Reilly explains how La Cala is going from strength-to-strength.
"La Cala de Mijas is the best kept secret on the Costa Del Sol," he says. "It really is an amazing village with everything you could wish for – all within a short walk from each other.
La Cala's star really is in the ascendent and estate agent Andrew Dodd, at Homefinders, has the numbers to prove it.
Dodd adds that as well as Brits, the Scandinavians and the Dutch are also coming in their droves.
After a stroll along the beachfront I drop into Olivia's, where Elliot treats me to an ice-cold Sauvignon Blanc on the roof terrace.
This is a glamorous spot, soon to be seen regularly in a new TV show on his life in Spain.
"It's going to be a lot of fun to watch," he says with his trademark grin.
Down the road, for a totally different atmosphere, Olive Press columnist Saunders and previous Michelin star chef is gearing up for his evening service at The Little Geranium.
Wearing a natty black trilby ('It's from the days where I had to rush between my 15 restaurants and chefs hats got in the way') and a denim chef's top, Saunders personally explains each course of the seven-plate tasting menu to enthralled diners.
His restaurant has been full to bursting every day since he reopened on February 1.
And this is reflected in Mijas as a whole – more than 300,000 visitors registered at the tourist office last year alone (the actual visitor number will be much higher), and the most popular month was October.
Tourists are flocking to Mijas and it's easy to see why – a melting pot of glitz and glam and down-to-earth family values, La Cala is most certainly moving in the right direction.
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Inside Darktrace, the £1.25bn cyber security unicorn
Post on: Mar 28, 2019
Hannah Gresty
Darktrace uses advanced artificial intelligence to shield clients ranging from T-Mobile to the Church of England from online attacks. Two of its founders, co-CEO Poppy Gustafsson and technology director Dave Palmer, discuss the demands of running their £1.25 billion unicorn – and explain why data security represents an opportunity as well as an obligation
How does Darktrace's AI technology – the Enterprise Immune System – protect businesses' data?
Poppy Gustafsson: "When AI lies at the core of your business, the maths involved is pretty complex, so we're big on biological metaphors. The human immune system has an innate sense of self. By virtue of that, it can identify anomalies, such as viruses and bacteria, it has never seen before. Our technology replicates this. It monitors the 'pattern of life' – the normal behaviour of every device on a network. It can identify when that pattern changes and respond autonomously."
Can you give an example of the technology in use?
PG: "Say you clicked on an email attachment that, unbeknownst to you, contained malware. Darktrace can very quickly spot that you have introduced it into your network and can stop the attack in progress. This means that the humans in your company will have to clean up one laptop rather than the entire network."
How do you go about explaining a complex data security product to potential clients?
Dave Palmer: "We have a videogame-style interface that draws you a picture of, say, a laptop that is grabbing data from a part of your network, trying to guess passwords and shipping this information to Austria while being controlled from Portugal. If we wrote a paragraph about that, you would get your head around the concept, but when you see a picture it's more powerful. We do a lot of work on improving human-computer interaction, which I think is often missing in this industry. How do you invent something clever, but build it in such a way that businesses can truly adopt it?"
Last year Darktrace completed a funding round that took its valuation up to £1.25 billion. What have you learnt about generating investment?
PG: "Each of our investors has got something unique to bring us. Whether we're expanding into new territories or diversifying our product portfolio, we can tap into their expertise. My advice is to remember that investors can provide a lot more than money. Make sure that you pick those that can give you what you need for the next stage of your development."
DP: "We go looking for the trends and breakthroughs that appear to have near- infinite potential. If we were to have 10 ideas for growing the business, for instance, we'd focus on the one that could be scaled up to cover a billion people if China were to knock on our door and say: 'We want to protect the whole country.'"
You have offices in 40 countries and employ almost 900 people. How do you go about finding the right talent for your business?
PG: "When you are doing something that hasn't been done before, there is no rulebook that says: 'You should hire this person.' We bring in people who are really good at stuff, whether they have a background in traditional computer science, languages or whatever. If you can look at a problem from a lot of perspectives, you're going to get the answer. That's important to us as a business – we don't have preconceptions about how you should solve a particular problem."
Women comprise about 40 per cent of your workforce – a far higher proportion than you'd find at the average tech company. How do you ensure that all your offices around the world are so inclusive?
DP: "We always back our values. For example, early on we had an engagement with a potential customer, working at a very traditional organisation outside the UK, who said he wasn't prepared to work with a female engineer. We chose not to do business with him. Because it has strong leaders such as Poppy and Nicole [Eagan, her co-CEO], Darktrace is attractive to women who want to join what's seen as a male-orientated industry. I bet there isn't another cyber security company in the world that has the balances we have."
PG: "I can remember another [would-be client] commenting that he genuinely believed that women were detrimental to the workforce. What we're doing is of huge importance. We're protecting businesses and nations and their ability to operate, so it's crucial that I can convey that message and that everyone here has a sense of purpose. We pride ourselves on being a meritocracy. We support our brilliant people and push them hard to be ambitious. We're all unique and we have our own regional specifics, but we're all part of Darktrace and have this purpose we're working collectively to achieve."
You have built a very broad client base, including Drax power station, Metro Bank, T-Mobile, the Church of England and the City of Las Vegas. What advice would you offer new tech entrepreneurs for getting that crucial first customer on board?
PG: "You cannot overstate the importance of landing your first customer in the history of a business. From that point your product development accelerates, because your client will say: 'Can you make it do A, B or C?' and you'll think: 'That's a great idea.' But you must always consider the trade-off between your commercial and technical ambitions. Technical teams want to build the solution to what they think is the problem, while commercial teams want to sell something that hasn't yet been built. You can't have one fully leading the other; the two have to be in lockstep."
DP: "It's helpful to remember that your early customers are likely to see themselves as innovators, but they're unlikely to be the same type of client you'll be selling to in two years. They may want to have a direct line into your product strategy and to help shape your future, which has pros and cons. They'll also probably want to tell their friends about this amazing new company they've discovered. You can capitalise on that to the hilt."
Why should data security be a primary concern in the boardroom?
PG: "Businesses are realising that cyber is one of the most pervasive risks today. A big data security breach can undermine trust in your company or even stop it from functioning. And it's not only businesses – think about the smart cities of the future, for instance. If you have traffic lights with IP addresses, you need to ensure that they're secure. As we embrace these brilliant and exciting new technologies, we have to be mindful of the threats they invite."
DP: "If your organisation can no longer perform its fundamental activities, how long do you think it will last?"
How have cyber attacks on businesses evolved?
DP: "There's been a big shift from criminals sneaking around networks for months or even years trying to steal a pot of gold – whether that's data or actual money – to high-impact attacks that seek to do as much damage as possible within a few minutes and then extort victims for money to undo the damage. Most mid-sized businesses won't have a 24-hour security team, so, if a manager opens an email attachment on Friday evening, will they come back to a smoking wasteland of a business on Monday morning? That's a huge shift, which stretches the capabilities of most firms."
PG: "Think about the rate of change of technology. My smartphone is the oldest piece of technology that my daughter will be able to summon up when she looks back at her earliest memory. I find that fascinating. On the flipside, there is no way that you can plug the skills gap and train humans to tackle cyber threats at the same rate at which the technology is developing. This means that cyber security is a problem that has to be solved by the technology itself, which is where Darktrace comes in."
Are some businesses right to think they are less at risk than others?
DP: "This way of thinking is a huge error…
The full interview can be read exclusively by IoD members in the latest issue of Director magazine, out from 28 March.
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Director is the magazine for business leaders. Free to IoD members and available to purchase through subscription, each edition is full of insightful interviews with entrepreneurs and company directors
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