On October 9, 2025, Mother Marie Therese of the Child Jesus, OCD, died at her monastery in Alexandria, South Dakota. Born Theodora Elizabeth Cycyk in Tonawanda, NY, in 1946, to Ukranian immigrants, she was fascinated by nuns but never saw herself as one of them. That is, until the day when she randomly opened The Guide to Catholic Sisterhoods in the United States, and happened upon the Discalced Carmelite communities, featuring a picture of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. So taken was she by this picture that she was happy to discover that there was a Carmelite monastery in nearby Buffalo! She entered Carmel on November 9, 1965. This year she just missed celebrating her 60th Jubilee.
Mother Veronica had a name picked out for her on her clothing day but when she saw Theodora dressed up in her wedding dress, her hair in a bun atop her head looking like St. Therese, she changed her mind and gave her the name, Sr. Marie Therese of the Child Jesus.
Mother Marie Therese became Novice Mistress and then Prioress. In 1996, she agreed to a request by Bishop Robert Carlson to make a new foundation in the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They revamped a property offered by Fr. Robert Fox (the Fatima Priest) located across from the Fatima Family Shrine, the first monastery of contemplative nuns in South Dakota. “Here I will leave her bones!” she said.
On the day of her death, the sisters were alerted to her condition and finished their daily rosary at her bedside. A priest administered the Apostolic Pardon just before she died. Her funeral took place on October 13th, the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima.
From her sisters: Please join us now as we earnestly pray that if Mother Marie Therese is not there already, Our Lord will soon welcome her into His loving embrace in an “Eternal Face to Face” (St. Therese). Know that we (and she) are most grateful for your prayers, and that Mother will be most anxious to recommend you, your loved ones, and your concerns to Jesus.
Monastery of Our Mother of Mercy & St. Joseph
PO Box 67
Alexandria, SD 57311
You can go to their website to support their building campaign to build a new chapel dedicated to the Holy Face of Jesus!
HolyFaceChapel.org