Leonie Martin: A Difficult Life

By Marie Baudouin-Croix

Book Overview

A sister of Saint Th?r?se of Lisieux, L?onie Martin (1863-1941) was one of the five daughters of Z?lie and Louis Martin, who were canonized by Pope Francis. She was the least gifted of the five Martin... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1853902810
• ISBN13: 9781853902819
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: Veritas Books (IE)
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.

Customer Reviews

One of my favourite books

I highly recommend this book to all Catholic mothers. We often hear that Leonie Martin was the 'difficult' child and we tend to scoff in disbelief...after all, this is an extraordinary, saintly family! But the truth is Leonie was difficult by our standards of 'difficult' today! What touches me so deeply with this book is how a mother can stop at nothing for the spiritual and emotional needs of a child she loves. She encompasses all her family members including her sister and brother in this mission of love. And love wins. Zelie Martin is an wonderful example to Catholic mothers today, it is definately a must read, five star book.

The "fifth" Martin

Leonie Martin brought much despair to her mother. Leonie was emotionally disturbed and had a "rough" temperment. She caused much anguish in the family. After being diagnosed with breast cancer Leonie's mother worried as to what would become of Leonie after her death. Leonie fought valiantly against her stubborn nature and after three tries succeeded in the Visitation convent. Perhaps in the after life we shall find she was the "greater" saint for having to struggle so hard to conquer herself.

An interesting person

Sometimes you hear of a family where all the children are loved and well cared for, and then one other is a sort of persona non grata. I don't think that was exactly the case here -- everyone seems to have loved Leonie -- but there is a definite feeling that she was considered, and must have felt, inferior to her siblings. Her four sisters all became Carmelite nuns in Lisieux, and one (Therese, of course) has been canonized and declared a doctor of the Church. Poor Leonie found her way in a different order as a nun of the Visitation after 3 tries. It appears, however, that she followed St. Therese's "Little Way" more exactly than the others, and may indeed finally be the second saint in the family (unless her parents - also being considered - are canonized first). I would like to read more about her, but perhaps there just isn't any other information. Has anyone collected her letters? It would be interesting to see how she grew spiritually by reading all of her correspondence, not just selections. At any rate, this is a nice book and I recommend it to anyone who desires to follow the little way.