After the death of St. Zelie Martin, St. Therese saw her older sister, Pauline, as a second mother. Pauline taught Therese grammar, catechism, and lessons in piety. Pauline also comforted her when she was sick.

Therese loved Pauline dearly. She recalled: "I told her once that I would like to go away with her to a far-off desert; she replied that it was her wish too, but that she was waiting till I was big enough to set out. This impossible promise I took in earnest, and what was my grief when I heard Pauline talking to Marie about soon entering the Carmel!"

Pauline felt the call to enter the Carmelite convent. She told her father, St. Louis Martin, of her intention. Louis said, " My Pauline, I have given you permission to enter Carmel for your own happiness, but do not think that there is no sacrifice on my part, for I love you so much."

While Pauline and Marie were talking about her entrance, Therese overheard the entire conversation and took it very hard. She ran to her bedroom and started crying. She felt betrayed that Pauline was going to leave for Carmel without her. Later that day, Pauline explained to Therese her reasons for leaving home in order to calm her fears.

On Oct. 2, 1882, Pauline entered the Carmelite. Therese described that day: "Whilst Papa, with my uncle and Marie, climbed the mountain of Carmel to offer his first sacrifice, my aunt took me to Mass, with my sisters and cousins. We were bathed in tears, and people gazed at us in astonishment when we entered the church, but that did not stop our crying."

As a cloistered nun, Pauline (now known as Sister Agnes of Jesus) was given very limited amount of time to meet family members. Therese took this very hard. She recalled: "I, who had been accustomed to talk with my little Mother of all that was in my heart, could now scarcely snatch two or three minutes with her at the end of the family visits; even these short minutes were passed in tears, and I went away with my heart torn with grief."

"I did not realize that it was impossible to give us each half an hour, and that of course Papa and Marie must have the largest share. I could not understand all this, and I said from the depths of my heart: 'Pauline is lost to me.'"

This suffering so affected Therese that she soon became seriously ill. She suffered an inexplicable malady with chills, fevers, convulsions, hallucinations, and a great deal of crying.

One day, in deep distress, Louis asked her eldest daughter, Marie, to write to Paris requesting a novena of Masses said at the shrine of Our Lady of Victories for the healing of little Therese.

One Sunday, during the novena, Marie became so desperate over Therese's illness and hallucinations that she knelt before the statue of Our Lady, and frantically begged for her sister's life. Leonie and Celine joined her, and Therese too turned to Our Lady, begging her to have pity.

The prayers of these future nuns were answered miraculously. Therese recalled: "Suddenly the statue seemed to come to life and grow beautiful, with a divine beauty that I shall never find words to describe. The expression of Our Lady’s face was ineffably sweet, tender, and compassionate; but what touched me to the very depths of my soul was her gracious smile. Then, all my pain vanished, two big tears started to my eyes and fell silently."

Therese was cured and began to cry quietly. Later, Marie pressed Therese for details, and 10-year- old Therese said simply that the Virgin Mary had smiled at her.  

                                                      聖母向小德蘭微笑

聖薛妮.馬定辭世後,聖小德蘭把姐姐寶蓮視為母親。寶蓮耐心地教授小德蘭文法、要理及熱心神業,亦在小德蘭患病時,衣不解帶地照顧她。 

小德蘭很愛姐姐寶蓮。她回憶說:「我有一次對寶蓮姐說,希望有一天和她遠赴沙漠,她居然對我表示亦有此願,只待我長大後才成行。我把這不可能的答允看得很認真;所以,當我聽得寶蓮姐對瑪莉姐說快要進入加耳默羅修院時,十分傷心!」

寶蓮感到天主召叫她進加耳默羅修院時,向父親聖類斯.馬定表達意願,父親類斯對答覆她說:「我的寶蓮,為你的快樂,我准許你入加耳默羅修院,但不要以為我沒有犧牲,因為我很疼愛你啊!」

寶蓮和瑪莉談及進加耳默羅修院的對話,小德蘭聽得一清二楚,深感不是味道,跑到自己的房間匍匐大哭,好像被寶蓮姐出賣了一樣 ──不帶著她而入修院!當天,寶蓮向小德蘭好言解釋她離家的原因,嘗試平復她的恐懼。

1882年10月2日,寶蓮終於進入加耳默羅修院。德蘭形容那天的情景:「當父親偕同舅父和瑪莉姐姐涉足到山上的加耳默羅修院,獻上他首個的犧牲時,舅母把我和我其餘的姐姐及表親,帶到聖堂參與彌撒,我們都已哭成淚人,別人出奇地看著我們,卻也不能停止我們的哭泣。」

寶蓮 ── 耶穌依搦斯修女,在修院內絕小機會和家人見面。德蘭感到非常難過,曾埋怨著:「以前,我能和寶蓮姐促膝長談,向這位小母親盡吐心聲;如今,已經絕少機會見面,每次見面能對談的不多於兩三分鐘,而這短暫的對話,我常被哭泣浪費了。每一次離開時,總傷心欲絕!」「我不明白不能每人都可以有半小時的傾談,而父親和瑪莉姐常佔去大部份的探訪時間。我對自己說:我失去了寶蓮姐!」

終於這些不如意的事情,影響了小德蘭的健康。她病得很嚴重,常有不明的忽冷忽熱、抽搐、幻覺,又經常哭泣。

一天,父親類斯傷感地要女兒瑪莉寫信到巴黎,要求在勝利之母的朝聖地為小德蘭的痊癒,舉行九日敬禮彌撒。

在九日敬禮內的一個主日,瑪莉十分擔心小德蘭的健康及其出現的幻覺;她跪在聖母像面前,懇切地為妹妹祈求;莉奧納和思琳加入向聖母祈求憐憫。小德蘭轉向聖母,求她憐憫。

這群未來修女的禱告,奇妙地被應允了。小德蘭說:「聖母像突然變得生活起來,亦變得更美麗,她那神聖的美麗,確實難以口描筆述。聖母的面孔莫明地甜蜜、溫柔、慈愛;但使我最為感動的是她那和譪的微笑。然後,我所有的痛苦都消失了,兩珠大淚水在眼裡產生並靜靜地流了下來。」

小德蘭痊癒了,並靜靜地哭。後來,瑪莉向小德蘭打聽原因,十歲的小德蘭簡單直接說:「童貞瑪利亞對著我微笑了」。