St. Therese and the 1891-92 influenza pandemic: Context — Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway

Saint Therese of Lisieux also lived through a sudden and deadly pandemic in 1891-1892.  In 2020, what can we learn from how she responded?

The external facts are simple: a pandemic of influenza swept the world, reaching the Carmelite monastery in Lisieux just after Christmas in 1891.  Only the three youngest of the 25 nuns (including Therese, then 18) escaped infection.  In six days, the three oldest nuns in the community died of it.  During the epidemic, Therese took on many new responsibilities.  In her memoir she wrote briefly but eloquently about this experience.

The pandemic that affected the Lisieux Carmel was a recurrence of the deadly “Asiatic flu” or “Russian flu” pandemic first reported in Russia in 1889.  The last great pandemic of the 19^th century…

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