Though Saint Thérèse's Father and Uncle gave her permission to enter Carmel, the ecclesiastical Superior of the Carmel of Lisieux would not give his consent because of her tender age, stating that she would have to wait until the age of 21, unless the local Bishop decided otherwise.
October 31 was the day set for the trip to Bayeux. I left alone with Papa, my heart filled with hope, but also rather scared at the thought of meeting the Bishop. For the first time in my life, I was to make a visit unaccompanied by my sisters and this visit was to a Bishop! I had never had any reason to speak unless in answer to questions addressed tome, and now I had to explain the purpose of my visit, to develop the reasons which made me seek entrance into Carmel; in a word, I was to show the firmness of my vocation. Ah! what that trip cost me! God had to give me a very special grace to overcome my timidity. It's also very true that "love never finds impossibilities, because it believes everything is possible, everything is permitted" [The Imitation of Christ III, 5:4] It was surely only love of Jesus that could help me surmount these difficulties and the ones that followed, for it please Him to have me buy my vocation with very great trials. ....
Father Révérony [Vicar General of the Diocese of Bayeux] was very friendly, but I believe the reason for our trip took him by surprise. After looking at me with a smile and asking me a few simple questions, he said: "I am going to introduce you to the Bishop; will you kindly follow me?" Seeing the tears in my eyes, he added: "Ah! I see diamonds; you mustn't show them to the Bishop!" He had us traverse several huge rooms in which portraits of bishops were hanging on the walls. When I saw myself in these large rooms, I felt like a poor little ant, and I asked myself what I would dare say to the Bishop.
The Bishop was walking on the balcony with two priests. I saw Fr. Révérony say a few words to him and return with him to where we were waiting in his study. There, three enormous armchairs were set before the fireplace in which a bright fire was crackling away. When he saw his Excellency enter, Papa knelt down by my side to receive his blessing; the Bishop had Papa take one of the armchairs, and then he sat down facing him. Fr. Révérony wanted me to take the one in the middle; I excused myself politely, but he insisted, telling me to show if I knew how to obey. And so I took it without further reflection and was mortified to see him take a chair while I was buried a in a huge armchair which could hold four like me comfortably (more comfortably, in fact, for I was far from being so!). I had hoped that Papa would speak; however, he told me to explain the object of our visit to the Bishop. I did so as eloquently as possible and his Excellency, accustomed to eloquence, did not appear touched by my reasons; in their stead a single word from the Father Superior would have been much better, but I didn't have it and this did not help me in any way.
The Bishop asked me if it had been a long time since I desired to enter Carmel. "Oh! yes, Bishop, a very long time." "Come, now," said Father Révérony with a smile, "you cant' say it is fifteen years since you've had the desire." Smiling, I said: "That's true, but there aren't too many years to subtract because I wanted to be a religious since the dawn of my reason, and I wanted Carmel as soon as I knew about it. I find all the aspirations of my soul are fulfilled in this Order."
I don't know, dear Mother, if these are my exact words. I believe they were expressed more poorly, but they contain the substance.
The Bishop, believing he'd please Papa, tried to have me stay with him a few more years, and he was very much surprised and edified at seeing him take my part, interceding for me to obtain permission to fly away at fifteen. And still everything was futile. The Bishop said an interview with the Superior of Carmel was indispensable before making his decision. I couldn't possibly have heard anything that would cause me more pain than this because I was aware of his formal opposition. Without taking into account Father Révérony's advice, I did more than show my diamonds to the Bishop. I gave him some!
He was very much touched by this and putting his arm around my neck, he placed my head on his shoulder and caressed me as no one, it appears, was ever caressed by him before. He told me all was not lost, that he was very happy I was making the trip to Rome to strengthen my vocation, that instead of crying I should rejoice. He added that the following week, before going to Lisieux, he'd speak about me to the pastor of Saint James and I would receive an answer from him in Italy. I understood it was useless to make further entreaties, and besides I had nothing to say, having exhausted all the resources of my eloquence.
The Bishop brought us out as far as the garden. Papa amused him very much be telling him that in order to appear older I had put up my hair. (This wasn't lost on the Bishop, for he never spoke about "his little daughter" without telling the story of the hair.) Father Révérony wanted to accompany us to the end of the garden, and he told Papa that never had the like been seen before: "A father as eager to give his child to God as this child was to offer herself to Him!"from Story of A Soul, translated by Father John Clarke, O.C.D., 1976, Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, ICS Publications, 2131 Lincoln Road NE, Washington, DC 20002 USA, pages 114-117