Meet the Littlest Souls…

“The LITTLEST SOUL that loves Me,
becomes a Paradise for Me.”
– The Child Jesus (from St. Therese’s Christmas play, 1894)

Meet the Littlest Souls: 
[i.e. Some of the “littlest souls.” For a brief explanation of this term, see the tab at the top of the page, titled ‘A Call to All Souls.’]

**Some links have been provided throughout this blog post for those who wish to learn more about some of these holy souls.

Mary, Mother of God
and Mother of the Church
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‘For whatsoever he commanded, Esther [a figure/type of Mary] observed: and she did all things in the same manner as she was wont at that time when he brought her up, a LITTLE ONE.’ (Est. 2:20)
33 Reasons to Consecrate Yourself to Mary: 
https://littlestsouls.wordpress.com/2017/08/15/33-reasons-to-consecrate-yourself-to-mary/

St. Joseph, Foster-Father of Jesus Christ
+
“May Your almighty arm uphold me! I place myself entirely into Your loving, Fatherly arms.”
– St. Joseph (p. 47, ‘The Life of Saint Joseph…’, Ven. Maria Cecilia Baij, O.S.B.’)
Why You Should Love St. Joseph:
https://littlestsouls.wordpress.com/2016/03/19/why-you-should-love-st-joseph/

St. Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face
Born: January 2, 1873
Died: September 30, 1897
+
“It is needful to remain little before God and to remain little is to recognize one’s nothingness, expect all things from the good God just as a little child expects all things from its father…”
‘St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower of Jesus’:
https://archive.org/details/saintthaeraeseof00thaeuoft

Sister Françoise-Thérèse (i.e. Léonie Martin, sister of St. Therese)
Born: June 3, 1863
Died: June 17, 1941
+
“I wish to stay small, so that I can have the audacity to believe that I will not go to Purgatory.”

Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero

Born: August 6, 1885

Died: September 1, 1916

+

“Souls the most miserable, the most weak, the most infirm, are the best clients of Love, the most desired by the Divine Mercy.”
– Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata
‘The Tendernesses of the Love of Jesus for a Little Soul’:
https://archive.org/details/sisterbenignacon00como
‘Vademecum Proposed to Religious Souls’ (a favourite of St. Faustina):
https://archive.org/details/vademecumpropose00ferruoft

St. Faustina Kowalska
Born: August 25, 1905
Died: October 5, 1938
+

“O my Jesus, You yourself must help me in everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness, O God.”
‘Divine Mercy in My Soul – The Diary of St. Faustina’:
https://archive.org/details/St.FaustinaKowalskaDiary

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
Born: July 18, 1880
Died: November 9, 1906
+
“Perhaps we may know of faults and infidelities on our part; let us abandon them to love which is a consuming fire, and thus we shall have our Purgatory.”
‘The Praise of Glory: Reminiscences of Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity’:
https://archive.org/details/praiseofgloryrem00eliziala

Ven. Mother Anne-Margaret Clement
Born: May 7, 1593
Died: January 3, 1661
+
“For I love little ones, I communicate Myself to them, and My pleasure on earth is to be with the humble.”
– Jesus to Mother Anne-Margaret Clement

Bl. Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus
Born: December 2, 1894
Died: March 27, 1967
+
“It seems to me that the mission of the little Blessed [now St. Therese] is to spread divine love in souls in the form which God wills for our times.”

Ven. Mária Margit Bogner
Born: December 15, 1905
Died: May 13, 1933
+
“I am so small that the good God will not have the heart to throw me into the fire.”
‘The Life of the Venerable Maria Margit Bogner’:
http://visitationspirit.org/2013/11/a-life-of-venerable-sister-maria-margit-bogner-vhm/

Mother Marie Therese Desandais
Born: 1876
Died: January 1, 1943
+
“Give to God the joy of your confidence; cry out to your Merciful Love. You can never see in this life what an act of faith and trust is worth in Heaven.”
– Jesus to Mother Marie Therese Desandais

Marcel Van
Born: March 15, 1928
Died: July 10, 1959
+
“God wants the lessons of love that He taught me before in the secret of my soul to live on in this world, and He has deigned to choose you as a little secretary to carry out His work, which He wishes to entrust to you.”
– St. Therese to Marcel Van
Short Bio:
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/08/brother-marcel-van-spirtual-brother-of.html

Dom Pius de Hemptinne
Born: April 21, 1879
Died: January 27, 1907
+
“God is love. The love which our heavenly Father bears to us is the primary cause of our sanctification.”

St. Gemma Galgani
Born: March 12, 1878
Died: April 11, 1903
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“Fear nothing, for the Heart of Jesus is the throne of Mercy, where the miserable are the most readily received.”
– Jesus to St. Gemma Galgani
A Website Devoted to St. Gemma:
http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/

Père Lamy
Born: June 23, 1853
Died: December 1, 1931
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“I have only to ask; I hear the humble and trustful prayer of little ones.”
– Our Lady to Père Lamy
Short Bio:
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/11/pere-lamy-father-john-edward-lamy.html

Mother Marie Madeleine Ponnet
Born: November 7, 1858
Died: January 16, 1914
+
“Heaven, Heaven’s glory, is measured by love, according to the annihilation, according to the confidence that expects everything and receives everything.”
– Our Lord to Mother Marie Madeleine Ponnet
A Few Samples of Her Writings, etc.:
http://visitationspirit.org/?s=marie+madeleine+ponnet

Fr. Paul of Moll
Born: March 7, 1824
Died: February 24, 1896
+
“God does not demand of you, in order to be a child of love, that you should do more than you are able to do, but all He says to you is, “My child give me your heart!” And I add thereto, “Do everything for love of Jesus.”
‘The Very Rev. Fr. Paul of Moll: A Flemish Benedictine and Wonder-Worker of the 19th Century’:
https://archive.org/details/veryrevfatherpa00speygoog

Ven. Louis de Blois (Blosius)
Born: October, 1506
Died: January 7, 1566
+
“He intimately knows thy weakness, and mercifully consoles thee in the Gospel, where the holy Angels are related to have sung at the Birth of Christ those words most ardently longed for: ‘Peace to men of good will’ (St. Luke, ii. 14). They said not, Peace to men of great or of perfect holiness… but in order that the weak and the little ones who are of good will might receive consolation, they joyfully said, ‘Peace to men of good will.'”
‘A Book of Spiritual Instruction’:
https://archive.org/details/bookofspirituali00bloi

Sr. Josefa Menendez
Born: February 4, 1890
Died: December 29, 1923
+
“Do not forget that it is your nothingness and littleness that act as magnets to attract Me to you.”
– Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez
‘Beautiful Words of Our Lord to Sr. Josefa Menendez’:

Beautiful Words of Our Lord to Sr. Josefa Menendez

Fr. Lukas Etlin
Born: February 25, 1864
Died: December 16, 1927
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“Often during your work raise your heart to God with an act of love.”

Rhoda Wise
Born: February 22, 1888
Died: July 7, 1948
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“You will win many souls through your devotion to the Sacred Heart and the Little Flower.”
– Jesus to Rhoda Wise
Short Bio:
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/03/rhoda-wise-american-mystic-stigmatic.html

St. Mechtilde
Born: 1241
Died: November 19, 1298
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“Every desire that a soul has ever had to possess Me is inspired by Me…”
– Jesus to St. Mechtilde
‘The Life of St. Mechtildis’:
https://archive.org/details/lifeofstmechtild00rome
‘Tender Words of Our Lord to St. Mechtilde’:

Tender Words of Our Lord to St. Mechtilde.

St. Gertrude the Great
Born: January 6, 1256
Died: November 17, 1302
+
“As a tender mother soothes the troubles of her little one by her kisses and embraces, so do I desire to soothe all your pain and grief by the sweet murmur of My loving words.”
– Jesus to St. Gertrude
‘The Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude’:
https://archive.org/details/thelifeandrevela00gertuoft

St. Francis de Sales
Born: August 21, 1567
Died: December 28, 1622
+
“Little children live in great confidence; they never think that their father either wishes to beat them, or is preparing an inheritance for them; but only think of loving him, because they are carried in his arms, and are cherished and provided for in every way by the care of their good father.”
‘The Consoling Thoughts of St. Francis de Sales’:
https://archive.org/details/TheConsolingThoughtsOfStFrancisDeSales

Ven. Louise Margaret de la Touche
Born: March 15, 1868
Died: May 14, 1915
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“… offer yourselves as holocausts to be consumed in the fire of Love, in order that this Love may be diffused throughout the world and inflame souls.”
– Jesus to Ven. Louise Margaret

Bl. Dina Belanger
Born: April 30, 1897
Died: September 4, 1929
+
“My Heart so loves souls that to obtain the affection of a single one, though it were the most miserable, the least worthy, I would have suffered infinitely more than I did during My whole mortal life, had it been possible.”
– Jesus to Bl. Dina Belanger
Short Bio:
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/09/blessed-dina-belanger-mother-ste-cecile.html

Mother Yvonne-Aimée of Jesus
Born: July 16, 1901
Died: February 3, 1951
+
“Above all, try and do ordinary things well. The opportunity to do great things comes rarely and you are quite capable of doing them when it does come. Just concentrate on doing the little things really well.”
– Jesus to Yvonne-Aimee
‘Merciful Revelations to Sr. Yvonne-Aimee’:
https://littlestsouls.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/merciful-revelations-to-sr-yvonne-aimee-d-1951/

St. Teresa of the Andes
Born: July 13, 1900
Died: April 12, 1920
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“In the end, I offer myself entirely to Jesus. I want to lose my nothingness in the abyss of His infinite love and power.”

Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos
Born: July 20, 1615
Died: November 5, 1692
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“Thou only failest, dear soul, in being too fearful. Why dost thou doubt, and what canst thou fear when thou art protected by the Most High, who can do and does all for thee? Thou canst not fail in hope in Him without wronging His love; that love which banishes all distrust between true lovers.” 
– An angelic revelation to Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos
The Life and Revelations of Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos:
https://littlestsouls.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/the-life-and-revelations-of-sister-jeanne-benigne-gojos/

Sr. Consolata Betrone
Born: April 6, 1903
Died: July 18, 1946
+
“Tell the world how good I am, how like a parent, and how in return I desire only love from My creatures.”
– Jesus to Sr. Consolata Betrone
Short Bio and Some Revelations:
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/02/servant-of-god-sr-consolata-betrone.html

Sr. Mary of the Holy Trinity
Born:
Died: June 25, 1942
+
“I love you because you cannot do without me, and because I long to see you happy; I love you because I have given my life for you.”
– Jesus to Sr. Mary of the Holy Trinity
Short Bio and Some Revelations:
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/11/sister-mary-of-holy-trinity-poor-clare.html

 Ven. Marthe Robin
Born: March 13, 1902
Died: February 6, 1981
+
“I often talk about her [St. Therese]. She is such a ‘big sister’ to me, so close, whose doctrine based entirely on love was so beneficial to my soul during the time of great darkness and no less great solitude, in which I found myself.”
Short Bio:
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/11/marthe-robin-mystic-stigmatic-victim.html

Bl. Alexandrina da Costa
Born: March 30, 1904
Died: October 13, 1955
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“I want you in My Arms with the same simplicity of a baby in those of its mother. Give Me your heart to place in Mine in order that you will have no other love but for Me and for the things that are Mine.”
Short Bio:
http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/11/blessed-alexandrina-da-costa-mystic-and.html

Sr. Gertrude Mary
Born: October 28, 1870
Died: May 24, 1908
+
‘You do not believe firmly enough that I love you with most tender affection. You are not sufficiently penetrated with the thought that you must be like a child with Me. There is in you too strong a feeling of fear and I wish you to exchange it for a feeling of filial love.’
– Jesus to Sister Gertrude Mary
‘Sister Gertrude Mary: A Mystic of Our Own Days’:
https://archive.org/details/sistergertrudema00leguuoft

Fr. Willie Doyle
Born: March 3, 1873
Died: August 16, 1917
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“Kneeling at the grave of the Little Flower I gave myself into her hands to guide and to make me a saint.”
‘Father William Doyle, S.J.:
https://archive.org/details/fatherwilliamdoy00orahuoft
‘Scruples and Their Treatment’:
https://fatherdoyle.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/scruples-and-their-treatment.pdf

Sr. Marie-Aimee de Jesus
Born: January 14, 1839
Died: May 4, 1874
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“And I for My part have given you a fear, but it should make you overcome all others; it is the fear of mistrusting Me.”
– Jesus to Sr. Marie-Aimee de Jesus

Bl. Dom Columba Marmion
Born: April 1, 1858
Died: January 30, 1923
+
“Saint = Child of God.”
‘Christ, the Ideal of the Monk’ (a useful book for all Christians):
https://archive.org/details/ChristTheIdealOfTheMonk

Therese Neumann
Born: April 8, 1898
Died: September 18, 1962
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“Die to yourself more and more, but keep always the simplicity of a little child.”
– St. Therese to Therese Neumann (Sept 30, 1925)
‘Konnersreuth, A Medical and Psychological Study of the Case of Teresa Neumann’:
https://archive.org/details/konnersreuthmedi00rwhy

Ven. Fulton Sheen
Born: May 8, 1895
Died: December 9, 1979
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“It does not require much time to make us saints; it requires only much love.”
‘The World’s First Love’:
https://archive.org/details/worldsfirstlove013240mbp

Bl. Mother Mary of the Divine Heart
Born: September 8, 1863
Died: June 8, 1899
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“Is not My strength superior to every weakness?”
– Jesus to Bl. Mother Mary of the Divine Heart
Short Bio (c.f pp. 245-249, ‘Maria of the Sacred Heart):
https://archive.org/details/holinesschurch00kempuoft

St. Padre Pio
Born: May 25, 1887
Died: September 23, 1968
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“Charity is the greatest gift: it is in this virtue that the soul is sanctified.”
A Website Devoted to St. Padre Pio:
http://padrepiodevotions.org/

St. Bernadette Soubirous
Born: January 7, 1844
Died: April 16, 1879
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“… bring virtue out of my weakness and glorify yourself in my misery, O my Jesus, the only refuge of my soul.”
‘Our Lady of Lourdes: Lourdes, its Grotto, Apparitions and Cures’:
https://archive.org/details/ourladyoflourdes00walsuoft

St. Mary Magdalene
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“Thou gavest me no kiss; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet.”
– Jesus (Lk. 7:45)

 

 

 

 

 

Ven. Maria Giuseppina Teresa Marcucci (d. February 10, 1960)

 

 Let us give our soul to Him, telling Him that we long to love but Him alone ; let Him do all, for we are
feeble and childish, and it is such joy to be the little
babe of the good God !” (St. Eliz)

 

Jesus to Mother Anne Margaret Clement: ‘I offered Myself to death through obedience and because I loved you. If you love Me you will sacrifice yourself as I did, being obedient in little things as in great. That is the martyrdom of the soul that loves Me perfectly.’ (p. 259–260, Vol. 2)

Jesus to Mother Clement: ‘I am your certain hope. You must never begin to be mistrustful. The souls that love Me are always full of hope, and their trust in expecting everything from My love prevents them from ever being confounded.’ (p. 213, Vol. 1)

 

 

St. Michael: “Make known to men the great power which I have with the Most High. Tell them,” he says, ” to ask of me
all they wish. Tell them that my power in favour
of those devoted to me is without limit. Make
known my greatness.” ^ Several times, now, on
different days, our Lord reveals to her that ” He
would add two precious jewels to His Heart for its
perpetual glory ; ” — by which she understands (i)