Saint Therese and the Story of a (broken) soul.

It was the evening of December 23rd, 2005 and my wife and I were standing in a CVS parking lot. I was sobbing and she was asking me what the in the hell was wrong with me.

"Something is wrong with our kids" I said.

She scoffed but I knew. My alarm bells were going crazy.

I remember praying that the only thing I wanted for Christmas was for God to show me that things weren't really as bad as they seemed.

On January 6th- the epiphany, the last day of Christmas, I received what I would later call my George Bailey moment. A bust in the mouth as an answer to a prayer. Anyone who has seen It's a wonderful life, understands what I mean.

The turmoil I witnessed but couldn't explain were tremors underground of these kids trying to find the courage to tell us about the crimes that had occurred years before. The volcano was about to blow and it did.

What an "Epiphany", 20 years ago.

The years that followed saw a family desperately trying to recover and failing while cold blooded, heartless people derided it as ''the Benko show". Starting in 2015, it fell off a cliff and kept falling and falling. It has been nothing short of horrible.

Christmas of 2022 was the absolute low point and the fact that I even survived is a miracle.

Something has changed since then. 2023 was the first year that things started getting consistently better. Not straight up, not perfect, but steady, consistent improvement. 2024 was better yet and 2025 really saw some visible blessings and light in this search.

Two trips in 2025 had a profound effect on me - a trip to Florida and a trip to Europe (Portugal, Spain and France).

The aftermath of the trip to Europe has been dominated by one particular saint. When I say dominated, I mean dominated. It wasn't the saint I was expecting to have this much of an impact.

The relics of Therese of Lisieux in procession out of her Basilica

I had a 1 in 365 chance of visiting the Basilica of Therese of Lisieux on the one day her relics were taken out in procession. What are the odds that I'd see her again in Washington DC just 6 weeks later?

Of course, I could go on and on about the miracles of Therese and Lisieux but let me focus on 1.

Easily one of the most astounding photos of my entire trip was taken in the lobby of this hotel in Lisieux.

It is hard enough to come to grips with being in a hotel in the very town of Therese but this picture they have, gave me chills.

This was the destruction caused by the German bombings where 80% of Lisieux was totally destroyed. Miraculously, the Hotel, Convent, Basilica, Parish church and the home of Therese were unharmed.

While in DC for the veneration of her relics, I bought two more books on Saint Therese, having already read Story of a Soul. I have since ordered 2 more. I have finished 1 of the 4, about 1/3 through the second. Therese has taken a hold of me in a way I could not have predicted.

I started off the New Year saying her Glory Be Novena. I did not know that January 2nd was her birthday! On January 3rd, I traveled about an hour away to go to Mass with a friend. I gave him a Roman Missal and a special edition copy of Story of A Soul.

Since it was January 3rd, I was expecting the celebration to be the feast of the Holy Name. We had crossed over to vigil time so they were now commemorating the Epiphany.

The Epiphany.

20 years later.

The Epiphany. The day God gave me a bust in the mouth as an answer to a prayer.

It's one of those anniversaries I have learned to survive rather than celebrate. Yet this year was different. I told my friend that I was entering 2026 with joy in my heart and with an obsession for this little nun who died so young and has captivated my heart.

Since January 3rd was a First Saturday, I decided to celebrate that 5:00 PM Mass for that devotion and remain for the 7:00 PM for my Sunday obligation.

I had some time to kill. I opened the bulletin to see what I might glean from it. I about fell out of the pew. I quickly called my friend who probably hadn't even gotten out of the parking lot. I told him to open his bulletin.

He says "Wow! You can't get away from her!"

I do not understand the reasons why my family has gone through so much hell and I do not fully understand the path forward. I do know this. For Epiphany this year, I got a shower of roses rather than a bloody lip.

God is amazing and He has sent a powerful saint to guide our path toward healing.

Saint Therese of Lisieux, pray for us!