With you, my God, I remember a Father,
The beloved apostle of your Sacred Heart.
But he is exiled on the foreign shore...
It's time at last, bring back my Pastor!
Give your children back their guide and their light,
In France, recall your apostle, Lord.
11 September 1894
Dating: September 11, 1894
Recipient: Father Pichon
Thérèse wrote this poem for the feast of Father Pichon (Saint Almire, hermit celebrated on September 11), at the request of Marie du Sacré-Coeur. It is an acrostic, a poem written in such a way that by reading the first letter of each verse vertically, we find the recipient's first name. By examining the drafts, we see that Thérèse first explored the role of Father Pichon in the life of Marie (Br 1). Thérèse does not carry Fr. Pichon in her heart, having learned since August that he wanted Céline for Canada, but she nevertheless manages to finish her little poem.
