Readers Share | Receiving a Rose from Saint Therese of Lisieux

Today is the feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux: a Caramelite nun, a Doctor of the Church, and a saintly friend to many. Upon her death bed, Therese said, "After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved..."

With awe and gratitude for the promises of her Little Way, we celebrate the ways Therese has showered Spoken Bride brides, couples, and women with roses--both tangible and through spiritual grace. 

If you are curious about praying a novena to Saint Therese, today would be a great day to begin offering your heart to Jesus through her Little Way.

Spoken Bride readers share their testimonies of receiving a rose, an answered prayer, from the Little Flower: 

PHOTOGRAPHY: SIMPLE HEART PHOTOGRAPHY

A Rose for Discernment 

Hapjimmy4 | The first I prayed leading up to a retreat my then boyfriend and I went on to discern if we should be married. I asked Therese for red roses if I should marry him. When we arrived we each had separate cabins. He opened the door to his and there stood a statue of St. Therese hold a huge bouquet of red roses. I almost screamed I was so excited. It was so hard restraining myself because my husband needed to learn we were to be married on his own. I shared the story with him after we were engaged. 

Teresa_likes_chocolate | Right before I started dating my fiancé I did a novena to her for clarity and discernment. I found a rose on the ground literally seconds after deciding that. We are engaged now.

Avaacatherine | She revealed my vocation to marriage through red roses.

Thesongwriterstephanie | I wanted more confirmation on the relationship I was in at the time, who is now my husband. I prayed the Novena and requested for a rose that had two colors, a white rose with red lining. I happen to finish the Novena at the start of a women's retreat with corazonpuronyc, and the Rose on my bed was exactly the one I requested--and the only one in the room of 10 that was exactly how I requested. Everyone else had red roses or yellow roses. 

Kataducci | I was in a relationship and was unsure whether to stay with the man or break up. I asked for a single rose if I was supposed to be single and multiple roses if we were supposed to stay together. My nana passed away within those nine days and the ninth day was her funeral. My mom, not knowing about the novena I was praying, handed me a single rose from her casket. She listens and provides!

Youngcaballerolife | Yes, when discerning if I was to date my now husband/ if he was to be my future spouse 

Magin5 | I was praying for guidance during a relationship. I was asking for a red rose if staying in the relationship was a good idea or a white rose if it should end. I started praying a novena to St. Thérèse and on the first day my boyfriend had sent me a picture of a book with a white rose on it. During the middle of the novena he started a conversation about the future and the relationship came to an end as we both felt this was best. On the last day of the novena I went to a wedding and our centerpiece was one single pink rose. I took this as St. Thérèse telling me that a pink rose (a mix of both) meant she was watching out for me and to trust God and He would give me peace.

Rach__marie | I prayed for pink roses when my now fiance began pursuing me to affirm our discernment. The first time we went to adoration together, on the last day of the novena, the adoration chapel had a huge bouquet of pink roses in front of Our Lord! 

Floratherese | asked for colorful roses while discerning my relationship with my husband. I saw them during winter. 

Adventureblood | I received a bouquet of roses on the last day of the novena from my boyfriend (now husband). He didn’t even know I was praying the novena! 

Chelseasliwaphotography | I asked St. Therese for a yellow rose to let me know I was with the right man. A few months later he bought me yellow roses (without having known my prayer). We broke up later on because he wasn’t Catholic and I was fearful of the issues we would have. The day after we broke up, he went to RCIA. Nine months later he entered the Church. Three months after that he asked me to marry him in a church in Mexico City and we noticed after I said yes that a single yellow rose was sitting high on the altar behind where he proposed. 

Jetsettingsrta | I prayed for my vocation. Red for married, white for religious life, and yellow for me to wait. I found 400 yellow roses on the last day. 

A Rose for Pregnancy 

Mrsthomas97 | I was married at 40. We had an ectopic pregnancy. My mother was a special friend of St. Therese and she began to pray that we would have children. We got a call from my mother-in-law overseas and said a young woman asked if my husband and I would adopt her baby. My mother started a Novena as soon as she heard about the baby. There was no assurance the mother would go through with it. The birth mother flew to our home and gave birth. Our daughter was born on October 1, St. Therese’s feast day. Three weeks later, the reliquary of St. Therese visited our parish and I took our daughter there and of course, there were roses everywhere. Seven weeks after our daughter was born, we were pregnant with twins

Hapjimmy4 | The second was if my husband and I should keep trying for a baby after some months of not being able to conceive--again asked for red roses. The last day of the novena a women named Therese, wearing a red shirt, and holding a red rose pen came to my bible study. Two weeks later our daughter “Anne Casey Therese” was conceived. Thank you, St. Therese!

Rach__marie | I prayed a novena leading up to my sister’s delivery for her and her child’s safety. She didnt share names prior to the birth, but her daughter’s middle name ended up being Rose! 

Katethibs | I prayed for clarity and peace with our miscarriage and got a white rose! 

A Spiritual Rose 

Meaghan.osborne | I have a few times! However, most of the times I have prayed her novena I haven’t received physical roses, but spiritual confirmation/an answered prayer during the Novena or shortly after. She always comes through!

Gingerjulesg | I visited her home in Lisieux. When we got out of the car I immediately smelled the strong scent of roses. My friend didn’t smell them and the closest rose bush was 75 feet away and only had a faintly sweet scent. I’m convinced the experience was a gift from the LIttle Flower herself! 

A Rose for Family

Kelly_marie_taylor | I prayed a novena to St. Thérèse in the midst of our struggles to blend our family of 6. Dating and marriage after trauma and divorce is a complicated journey, and so my request during the novena became to find unity in Christ for the seemingly broken pieces of our family. While traveling out of state, we attended Mass for the The Assumption, and the priest gathered a single rose from the altar display before he processed out of the church, handed it to our tiniest child, and said, "We do receive gifts from Heaven. Put this on your family's altar." We love you, St. Thérèse! And we love Our Lord, who unifies and strengthens unceasingly!

Jaramillomaggie | I didn’t even pray the whole novena (I intended to make it an official nine-day novena). One day I simply asked Saint Therese as I drove past the cemetery, “Can you send me a sign that my grandparents are in heaven?” When I got to the local adoration chapel there was in front of the altar a HUGE bouquet of my favorite colored roses!!! It’s like a coral color. I’ll take that as a big fat answer to my prayers. 

Jacquelinewh321 | I was asking for a rose as a sign of God's love that he loved me and for my family, because I was not feeling confident as my uncle was very sick. Since I started praying, I felt a growing sense of peace and love in my heart. When I'm with God and with my family, I felt a renewed sense of connection and understanding. It was confirmed with a snapchat of a rose, then a single rose, and then a whole bouquet on the day my novena ended.

Savannahrhea | I prayed a novena to St. Thérèse in the middle of winter when my family’s house wouldn’t sell. It had been on the market on and off for almost 4 years. We were all in a really bad place spiritually and mentally from where we were living. After the novena was over, my mom found a rose had sprouted out of the the cold, hard ground. We were amazed and our house sold that spring.

Mbdevenney | I have many stories of St. Therese's intercession! She never fails to remind me that she is near and helping! My most recent favorite was from last summer. My father had suddenly passed away and I have an association with yellow roses connected to my father. My family had gone to his favorite vacation spot 2 months after his death. I prayed to St. Therese to find my dad and send me yellow roses when she found him. I specifically asked to send them on the beach. Our second to last day, a bouquet of roses washed up on shore right in front of me with the yellow roses on top. I was in complete shock. 

Mmburckel | When my sister had mono and was super sick. I prayed and a neighbor gave us a rose bush! 

A Rose for a Personal Prayer 

Schimmoelleralyssa | I finished praying a novena to St. Thérèse while on mission with the sisters of charity in Haiti, and I received a rose and a St. Thérèse prayer card together from another man volunteering with them!

Sb_ratcliffe | St. Therese is an amazing intercessor. I’ve always requested 3 red roses. I sent prayers regarding my spouse, my university choice, small decisions, big decisions. One Christmas I decided to ask for snow in Georgia - a white Christmas. Does anyone from Georgia remember December 25, 2010? The first white Christmas in ATL since 1881! I honestly haven’t asked for anything since because it was so big, I barely believe it still! 

Sammierosecarel | I prayed for yellow roses if I was meant to move to Flagstaff for a youth minister job and white roses if I was supposed to stay in Scottsdale. She sent me yellow roses and to this day, one of my teens say I saved her life by being her youth minister in Flagstaff!

Daniellereneephotos | I prayed for a shower of roses, and I was sent roses on my surprise birthday cake, a rosary, and a bouquet of roses at the feet of my church’s statue of Mary. Incredible prayer and very humbling!

Mary_leslie_maharg_ | I haven’t done a novena to her, but I know that every single time my sister in law has done one, she has always received a rose. A few years ago, on the last day of the novena, she was praying outside of our local abortion clinic by herself on an afternoon it was closed. She wasn’t holding a sign or anything, just kneeling and silently praying. A woman pulled her car over, got out, and handed her a rose. She said the rose was to say thank you for being out there praying--she had an abortion scheduled in that building a couple years ago, but saw someone outside praying and because of that she didn’t even go inside. And then she pointed to her little boy in the back seat and said it’s because of people like her that he is alive today, and thanked her again. 

Oliviadjak | I saw red roses for 175 days after I prayed a novena to her; never heard of that happening.

Catholic_graces | I asked for her to send me roses if my dad was in heaven. One evening I was making tacos for dinner and I had a very strong smell of roses. Not trusting myself I asked my husband if he smelled something and he said yes roses. Some time later I asked her to send me roses if my husband's mom was in heaven. She sent me a visual picture of a black rose that was tipped with a beautiful blue and sparkled like diamonds. I asked my priest about this and he said that she was probably still in purgatory. Just a couple of months ago I asked her to send me roses when my mom gets to heaven and just a few days later my daughter and I were driving in my car and we both smelled the scent of roses for a good 4 minutes. She has been good to me through God's blessings.

Racejgale | I prayed for my board exam that was on her feast day. When I get home my sister had a bouquet of red roses...I passed.

Ashleyokwuosa | I was at a crossroads in my life and I needed help making a decision. So my friend told me about Saint Théresè’s novena and I prayed it. It was the best decision I ever made and it was the first time I had ever prayed a novena. I felt so blessed to have her intercede on my behalf and guide me through a difficult time in my life.

Mrseliadams07 | My husband and I have received quite a few roses from our little saint! When we were dating, we prayed her novena leading up to her feast day for our relationship and she left us a beautiful pink rose at a bar that we went to! Most recently we prayed for a job decision for my husband and asked for a specific colored rose, and when we went out to dinner that night the only open table was a table outside with a rose on it the color we asked for! She’s too good to us.

Ksulauren129 | When I was at a wedding in St. Paul in June 2016, I asked for her intercession at the cathedral. They have a small chapel for her. I specifically asked for her help for a new job and my vocation. The next day, I found her novena prayer card at a random church...asked her for yellow roses or white tulips for both intentions before my next birthday. In December of that year, I started a new job. I spotted a bouquet of roses in a church kitchen after my first week. There was also a cute boy I noticed at work. The second weekend after starting that job I saw another bouquet of yellow roses. Well, I’m marrying the cute boy in three weeks!

Denaeelenora | My fiance and I prayed this novena when we were discerning whether to have a full Mass or not at our wedding. My family is not Catholic, so I was hesitant to have the Eucharist, since it may create an obvious divide. We asked for yellow flowers if we were to have a full Mass, lilies for whatever we want because God will bless it either way, or red flowers if just the liturgy. On the 5th day we went for a walk around the reception hall and we came across a patch of yellow lilies! We felt so loved and free, it confirmed for us that we wanted a full Mass and that it would be blessed and okay for my family’s experience. 

Allygirl122 | we prayed for providence from St. Therese for a rug for our daughter’s room. The floor gets extremely cold in the winter. Someone donated a huge rug that fits perfectly in her room and it had roses all over it.

Maryhinze | I prayed for a red or white rose and received a bouquet of pink roses!

For more bridal stories involving Saint Therese’s intercession, check out this Engagement Feature and this Wedding Story.

Does your engagement or wedding story involve the intercession of a saint? Consider submitting your story to be featured on Spoken Bride.